


Timeless: The Chest

by Thepiratemistress



Series: Timeless [2]
Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, F/M, Love, Lust, Romance, Sex, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2019-06-13 21:21:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 43,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15373584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thepiratemistress/pseuds/Thepiratemistress
Summary: Accepting that she is stuck in the past, Alice tries to carry on without Barbossa. What happens after she joins the crew of the Black Pearl? And would someone from her past use the second device to try to rescue her? Sequel to "Timeless: The Curse". Mostly canon; faithfully follows Dead Man's Chest, and includes the events that happened between CotBP and DMC.





	1. Lost at Sea

Alice walked along the deck slowly, her fingers skimming along the portside railing of the Black Pearl. She was home again, but it wasn't the same without Barbossa. Even Pintel and Ragetti were gone. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath of the sea air, trying to hold back the tears. She opened them with a sigh and looked around. The crew was diligently at work as they followed Jack's new heading; they glanced at her often, but no one had yet spoken to her. Jack stood at the helm, pleased to have the ship back in his command, and hummed as he watched the open sea before them. Alice knew the Royal Navy would be after them in short order, and she was actually surprised they hadn't seen them already. She watched as a tall man with a protruding belly approached Jack and began speaking with him; the glances they repeatedly threw her way left no doubt as to the subject being discussed. She wondered what would happen to her now, a soft snort of amusement escaping as she remembered wondering that same thing with Barbossa.

Her thoughts drifted to the device in her satchel as she turned to watch the sea. The light had not yet returned, and she mostly gave up thinking about it. Mark had told her the time it would take to recharge would vary, and had even taken as long as three months before, but she didn't put any hope into that. She shook her head in amazement. It hadn't even been three months yet since she arrived in Port Royal, and already she had been through a whole new life. She was no stranger to how fast life could change, but this seemed unreal. She heard footsteps nearing her, but she simply stared at the water below; if they were going to push her overboard, she didn't want to know it was coming.

"Miss Alice," a gruff yet soft voice addressed her and she took a deep breath before turning slightly to face its owner. The man who had been talking to Jack stood there, his face kind, but unsure. "Welcome to the crew," he smiled. "Joshamee Gibbs," he held out his hand and Alice shook it lightly, smiling weakly.

"'S just 'Alice'," she corrected and he nodded.

"Alice," he smiled, repeating her name. "I be the first mate, bo'sun, quartermaster, and bard, all in one," he laughed lightly, clearly trying to get Alice out of her funk. "Small crew," he shrugged and she chuckled softly.

"And what's my position?" she asked, cocking her head slightly.

"Er, uh…" he looked over at Jack and then back to her. "Crew…?" he drew out and then chuckled. "With so few of us, we haven't got much for titles, I suppose." He turned to face the others as they methodically went at their tasks, and Alice turned around as well. They were diligent in their work, she noticed, but they weren't as frantic about it as Barbossa's crew had been. "That's Cotton over there," he pointed to an older man with a brightly coloured parrot on his shoulder. "He's a mute, save for that bird, and a fine helmsman. That there's Marty," he pointed to a man of shorter stature than even she, "He's small, true, but his fightin' spirit be several times larger."

"I'm Anamaria," a tall slender woman with dark skin stopped in front of Alice and shook her hand. Gibbs made a face and Anamaria rolled her eyes. "Superstitious git thinks we're bad luck, being women and all," she laughed, her eyes squinted at him. He strained an apologetic face at Alice, but it just looked pained. Alice found herself chuckling, understanding now why the man looked so nervous when talking to Jack.

He cleared his throat and continued to rattle off names, pointing out the various crew, but Alice was having a hard time recalling them all, even though there were so few.

"Thank you, Mr. Gibbs," she said when he finished, and he nodded with a smile.

"If you be findin' yerself with any questions, feel free to ask," he said. "In the meanwhile, yeh might be wantin' to go belowdecks and pick out a nest, 'fore this crew gets any bigger," he finished before wandering off. Alice had completely forgotten that she would no longer be living in the captain's quarters, and she grimaced as a small shock of pain danced across her chest. She quickly turned toward the stairs, rapidly blinking the quick tears from her eyes.

She headed below to the smattering of hammocks that comprised a living space. She found an unclaimed bottom bunk on the starboard side and gingerly sat down on the hammock as it swayed. She lay back for a moment looking up – she wasn't sure how comfortable she would be with two others above her, but she preferred to not have to climb over anyone else. Alice sighed sadly, still fighting off the sobs that threatened to come. So it had come to this. Could she carry on without Barbossa at her side? Barbossa… She rolled onto her side and gazed at the empty hammocks swinging from the ceiling in the center of the space. She was now a member of the crew sailing under the command of the very man who had killed the captain she loved. She sat up slowly, wondering whether she would ever catch a break. Removing the satchel from her side, she opened it to pull out the wooden box. It creaked open, and she tenderly ran her finger over the burned bulb in the center. With a sigh she snapped it shut and tossed it back inside the bag, which she hung from a square nail along the wall.

Footsteps thumped down the stairs and she carefully stood up to see Gibbs appear. He smiled at her and stopped before continuing down the next flight.

"Fancy a drink?" he asked and waved her over when she nodded. Alice followed him down the stairs, and he swung open the door to the ship's stores. She carefully stepped around various crates and barrels, following Gibbs to the wall of bottles neatly stuffed into cubbyholes. He pulled one out and handed it to her before grabbing another for himself. They wandered back to the hammocks, but Gibbs sat on the floor. Alice shot him a questioning look.

"I'm not one for seasickness, but drinking while swaying about in those tends to end badly," he said, rubbing his stomach. She giggled and sat down on the floor across from him. They uncorked the bottles. "There may be no treasure, and only a little food, but we've got rum, so life is good!" Gibbs toasted, and they clinked their bottles before heartily swigging from them. "Aaahhhh," Gibbs exhaled pleasurably, and Alice smiled sadly, looking around once more.

"It's strange," she said, running her fingers over the grimy floorboards. "The ship is exactly the same, yet it's completely different."

"Aye, that she is," Gibbs nodded. "You see, it's not just bits of carefully crafted materials that make a ship. No, the captain imbues his very nature into every part of her. He must love her and care for her, as one would a fine woman. Any man can sail a ship, but to command one takes a very special relationship." He stopped to take a swig and Alice mulled over his words while doing the same. "Jack loves the Pearl more than I have ever seen him love any woman – he's devoted to her."

"As was Hec—" she cleared her throat, "Captain Barbossa," she corrected, and was surprised when Gibbs nodded.

"Aye, that he did."

"Were you on the crew… with Barbossa and Jack?" Gibbs shook his head.

"I knew Jack long before, and we sailed together on many a misadventure, but I did not accompany him on that one, nor during any of his earlier voyages with the man." Alice's eyes went wide – she had not known how long Jack had sailed with Barbossa, and she had always assumed it was just during that fateful journey to Isla de Muerta. Her bewilderment must have shown on her face, she realized, as Gibbs nodded at her. "They had a bit of a history, those two. I've heard stories, legends, rumours, tales and accounts of some of their journeys. Hell, Jack was with him when Barbossa became the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea, even!"

"Pirate Lord?" she asked with a scrunched face.

"The short of it be that there are nine 'Pirate Lords' of the Brethren Court. They pass down amulets to various successors, and these are presented when the court gathers, to identify that they are who they say."

"Is Jack…?" she let the question trail off and Gibbs nodded as he drank.

"Pirate Lord o' the Caribbean," he grinned his answer. "But no," he continued the earlier train of conversation, "I never sailed with them both. I met Barbossa 'round the taverns in Tortuga, though, and learned a bit 'bout him."

"Like what?" Alice was genuinely curious.

"What do you know about Hector Barbossa?" he asked, looking her square in the eye.

"Only what I saw. We never got the chance to talk about more," she finished with a whisper. Gibbs looked down for a moment before taking a large draw from his bottle.

"I only know pieces meself, mind," he started, and Alice encouraged him to continue as she sipped her rum. "He used to be a Navy man, but found it more to his liking to turn pirate, much like myself. He commanded a small schooner and led a rowdy band of misfits, but they were sunk by another pirate ship. He was saved by the only two of his crewmates to also survive – the rest met their end in the waters 'round Bermuda. They found their way to Tortuga, where the old Caribbean Lord picked them up, and they headed to Shipwreck Cove. Home of the Brethren Court," he clarified when Alice looked confused. "Met Jack there, and they found the ship what sunk Barbossa's. The captain was an old friend of his, and Lord of the Caspian Sea. The story goes that he apologized to Barbossa and passed on his amulet before being hung by the Brethren for betraying the code."

"Wow," Alice breathed softly, and Gibbs took the pause as a chance to take another drink.

"Years passed before Jack showed up in Tortuga and assembled a crew, with Barbossa as 'is first mate. The legends say they went in search of a magical substance called 'Shadow Gold', being chased by the East India Trading Company and a dark guild known as the 'Army of Shadows'. They succeeded before disbanding once more, until Jack again found himself in Tortuga, gathering a crew to search for the gold of Cortés. I declined joining him on the venture, preferring to stay far away from curses, but Jack didn't believe in such things," he smirked and drank. Alice chuckled and gulped down more rum.

"What's your impression of Jack?" she asked after a moment.

"He's a good man, despite what others say. He comes across as a fool, given his predilection for wild adventures, not to mention his trusting nature. He's much less open now than he was before the mutiny, but I feel he'll once again return to a shadow of that, now that he's had his revenge. Ye can trust Jack, so long as he doesn't suspect you'll betray him, but he'll always cover his own arse first and foremost, even at the expense of some. But you can't blame the man – I'm sure any of us would do the same." Alice nodded with a wry smile.

"That's understandable."

"What about you? What's your story, Alice?" She eyed Gibbs for a moment. This man had a penchant for superstitions and lore, and was a fine storyteller. She was sure he had heard every tale there was to hear, and decided to tell him some of the truth, if for no other reason than to share with him a story he had probably never heard before. She took a swig from her rum and laughed at that thought.

"I'm from the future. A time-traveller, of sorts." She was getting sick of saying it, feeling like she was quoting a bad sci-fi movie, but she grinned in amusement as Gibbs shot her a look of abject disbelief. "Came here with the help of an object which broke in the process, leaving me stranded in the distant past."

"I've heard some far-fetched tales, but I think that one takes the cake," he said with a bit of good-natured sarcasm, and the pair laughed and drank.

"If only I was kidding," she said seriously with a slightly pained smile. "Secured my place in the governor's mansion in Port Royal through a fabricated background, and ended up aboard this very ship with the governor's daughter." Gibbs was looking at her sideways for a moment before he smiled and spoke.

"Ah, Miss Elizabeth. I was a sailor in the Royal Navy stationed aboard the Dauntless when she and her father came from England aboard our fine vessel." Alice's eyes widened.

"Small world, eh?" she chuckled and he nodded.

"Even smaller – we sailed under the command of Captain Norrington," he smirked and Alice almost choked on the rum she was drinking.

"You sailed under Norrington?!" she spluttered. "I bet he's bloody proud to know you turned pirate," she laughed and Gibbs rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but she didn't want to continue down that path. "I wonder how she's doing, Elizabeth."

"Probably bent over a bale of hay in the blacksmith's, if Turner be any kind of man at all," Jack interjected, startling the pair of them as he stomped down the stairs. Gibbs scrambled to his feet, but Alice stood up slowly, her heart racing from his sudden appearance.

"Was just explainin' a bit o' history to Alice here," Gibbs stated.

"So I see," he replied as he strode up to Gibbs and plucked the bottle from the man's hand. Gibbs gave him a sheepish grin and stepped around the captain, who was now drinking from the bottle.

"I'll just see…" he trailed off, pointing up the stairs before disappearing quickly, leaving Jack and Alice alone.


	2. Clearing the Air

"So," Jack started. "Found a bunk, did ye?" Alice glanced at it and nodded. "I had rather hoped you would've continued sleeping in the captain's bed," he grinned with a lecherousness that was only half-kidding. Alice eyed him in annoyance.

"If my captain was here, I would," she responded with a cold smirk and Jack squinted his eyes at her, but didn't stop grinning.

"I'm your captain now, love," he held out his arms grandly, holding that pose for several seconds before dropping it. "No matter. You'll get to see your beloved Barbossa again in no time." Her smirk quickly dropped and her eyes widened.

"Wha-?"

"We're sailing for Isla de Muerta," he cut her off. Her heart thudded loudly in her ears.

"Why?" she gasped, and Jack turned, walking toward the stairs. He paused and looked over his shoulder, gesturing with the bottle of rum for her to follow. She didn't move - her legs felt glued to the spot. He rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh and walked back over to her.

"The treasure," he said in a low growl, his grin still in place. "You've seen it. Think of what we could do with such riches… Except for the cursed bits." Alice was still glued in place in shock. Barbossa's lifeless body… She knew it would still be there, in some state of decay, and she didn't think she could face seeing it again – especially not like that. Her breathing was coming fast, and she noticed Jack was giving her a puzzled look. She realized that tears were streaming down her face.

"I… But…" her mouth opened and closed, and she was starting to hyperventilate. Her mind was racing, and she couldn't find a single coherent sentence. Jack held up his hands.

"Settle down, Alice," he tried to calm her, but she fell apart, the pain she had been fighting surfacing all at once. She felt his arms around her suddenly and almost started hitting him until she realized he was trying to hug her. She hugged him back, sobbing into his jacket. She heard him wince a few times as her fingers dug into back as she cried harder, still clinging to the bottle of rum with one hand.

"Come on, Alice," she heard him repeatedly say as he walked her to the stairs and up to the deck. She didn't pay attention to where they were going until Jack released her, closing a door. She looked around and saw they were in the captain's cabin. She wailed loudly as she stared at the heavy wooden table and turned to run out of the cabin, but Jack stopped her, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her around. She struggled weakly, but he held her fast.

"Why? Why did you bring me in here?" she sobbed, her speech frantic. Jack sighed and released her, and she quickly turned to face him. He placed his hands on her upper arms, gripping them lightly.

"Hector Barbossa is dead," he said point blank, and her jaw quivered as she tried to keep the sobs in. "You're going to have to accept that fact. Hiding from it won't help, nor will becoming an empty shell of your former self." He dropped his arms and walked around her to the table, pulling out a chair for her. She eyed the chair but her feet wouldn't move toward it. Jack sat down in another chair on the opposite end of the table from where Barbossa had usually sat, and he looked at her, gesturing to the chair after a moment.

Alice swallowed hard and forced her feet to move, shuffling numbly across the wooden floor until she was at the table. She reached a hand out gingerly and touched the surface, her eyes closing painfully as she made contact with it. A sob caught in her throat, and she pulled her hand back, dropping into the chair with shuddering breaths and clinging to the bottle of rum. Jack took a sip from his own bottle and leaned forward.

"Do you think he would want this?" he asked earnestly, and her eyes locked with his as she looked up. "It's your job to carry on his legacy, love," Jack said softly. Alice drank from the bottle in silence, trying to swallow around the lump in her throat. Jack stood slowly after a pause, his chair scraping along the floor. "I'll give you a moment," he said gently before slowly walking across and exiting the cabin.

Alice stared at the table for a long while, clutching the bottle to her chest. She reached out slowly once again and stroked the smooth surface of the table. Her head flooded with memories as she did so. The first night they had dinner here, and Hector told her and Elizabeth about the curse… Sitting here devouring that cold meal later, after they stood on the deck that first night talking… Waking up to find him poring over charts as he sat there and coyly suggested he might marry her… Sitting naked in front of him—her breathing hitched and she closed her eyes, gripping the edge of the table tightly. She set down the bottle on its surface and leaned forward, pressing the side of her face to the cold wood and stroking it softly as she cried quietly for a long time.

Sniffling heavily, she finally sat up and opened her eyes, her hands splayed out in front of her. She gazed at the ring Barbossa gave her and brought her hands to her chest, holding them tightly over her heart for a moment before releasing them.

_Jack is right_ , she thought with a sigh and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. Barbossa wouldn't want her to waste time mourning him and doing naught else. She had to keep him in her heart and live up to his name. She would turn her sadness into determination, and her pain into rage, and she would become as fearsome as he. She took a deep steeling breath and grabbed the bottle of rum, standing up slowly as she did so.

"For you, Hector," she whispered and raised the bottle, taking a few deep chugs of the burning liquid before lowering it and exhaling loudly. She leaned forward and kissed the tabletop, taking a deep breath of it before she stood up again. Bottle in hand, she made for the door, pausing once more to look back over her shoulder at the empty setting before stepping out on to the deck.

* * *

Alice closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the warm sea air, allowing it to fortify her resolve. She could be – no,  _would_ be – strong. For him. The breeze kicked up, whipping around her at this thought, reminding her oddly of his rich laugh.

"Sail!" came the muffled call from the crow's nest, shaking Alice back to the present. She ran up to the sterncastle; Anamaria was at the helm, but her attention was focused behind her on Jack and Gibbs.

Jack had climbed up in the rigging and was gazing behind them with his spyglass. Gibbs was leaning over the starboard side, also watching that direction. With a snap, Jack closed the spyglass and climbed down.

"Dutch," was all he said, and the other two relaxed. Alice looked around at them all.

"Not the Navy," Gibbs said to her with a relieved smile.

"Odd, that," Anamaria stated, her eyes forward as she adjusted the helm slightly.

"Aye," Gibbs nodded, looking at the woman. "Puts me ill at ease, but at least we're keepin' steady."

Alice noticed Jack was staring at her, and she just stared back until he walked over to her.

"Back to rights?" he asked, trying to keep his concern light. Alice nodded slowly.

"I'll get there, in time," she replied before standing up straight and squaring her shoulders. "But good enough for now."

"Good," he smiled, but it was strained. Alice eyed him for a moment before sighing.

"We're still going to Isla de Muerta, aren't we?" she asked, trying to keep the dejected tone from fully colouring her voice. He stared at her, searching her eyes.

"That's the plan," he finally said. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You can stay aboard the Pearl, if you wish," he added.

"I think that would be best," she nodded, opening her eyes. Jack gave her a pained smile before masking it with an overly cheery one.

"Cheers!" he grinned, taking the bottle from her hand and swigging it. Alice swiped it back and gave him a grin of her own before swigging it. If she was going to do this, she had to at least pretend to be happy until it began to happen naturally. Jack patted her on the shoulder before walking down to address the crew.


	3. Pear Shaped

The days passed in a haze of rum peppered with spots of nervous panic each time they sighted another ship. The crew was severely uneasy at the absence of the Royal Navy; the longer they went without sight of English sail only served to intensify their sense of foreboding.

It was during this time that Jack approached Alice one afternoon under the pretense that he would like her help with the logbooks. Glad for something to do, Alice followed him into the cabin where the table was buried beneath several charts, a few stacks of books, and a smattering of loose papers. He explained the predicament of his disorganization, and she offered suggestions to him for how it could be remedied, suddenly glad for her years of secretarial experience. As she set about to work, she noticed Jack looking at her oddly.

"Something the matter, Jack?" she asked, pausing and looking up from her notes to see him chewing a finger in silent contemplation.

"Is there any truth to what you told Mr. Gibbs?" he asked, lowering his hand slowly. She regarded him for a minute, remembering that conversation.

"All of it," she finally said with a nod. Jack furrowed his brow while eyeing her skeptically.

"You came from the  _future_. To here." It was one part statement and one part question, and she wasn't sure how to respond, so she simply nodded again. "How?"

Alice sighed and set down her pencil, sitting back in her chair. She cleared her throat and began her story; not all of it, just the relevant bits. Jack continued to stare at her oddly throughout, but he asked thankfully few questions.

"And you've no idea how to fix it?" he asked when she finished explaining how she might be stuck here. She looked down for a moment and sighed sadly before lifting her gaze back to his and shaking her head slowly.

"It's beyond my understanding and, therefore, beyond my capabilities," she answered.

"May I see it?" She found herself a little surprised at his question, though she wasn't sure why. She nodded and went to stand, but he stopped her. "You don't have to…" he started, but she could see the burning curiousity and smiled.

"It's fine," she said and went to retrieve it.

She returned with her leather satchel and dug it out, showing it to him, but not allowing him to touch it. When he expressed annoyance at that, she offered to trade it for his compass, and he dropped the subject. She tried asking him about his own mysterious object, but he just gave her a wolfish grin.

"That is a story for another night," he merely told her with amusement.

* * *

They stopped along the way to Isla de Muerta at San Juan, a bustling Spanish town on the North side of Hispaniola. There they recruited a small number of extra hands. Many more were willing to join them but, while there was treasure enough to go around, the pirates weren't keen on the idea of many more shares.

Alice didn't care much either way, wanting the journey there over as quickly as possible. She did not think she could even handle seeing the island again, knowing what had occurred – and what remained – there.

She busied herself by learning her way around the rigging, and Jack commented more than once that she was a natural at working a ship. She did whatever work she could, taking every new task as a learning opportunity. If she was to carry on in Barbossa's steps, she had to be prepared for every job, no matter how strenuous or menial. She welcomed the distraction it afforded her, but she did not think it would be enough as they approached the cursed island.

Her anticipation only served to feed the dread inside of her as, day after day, she waited to hear the call that Isla de Muerta had been sighted.

And then it happened. Alice had been seated on the bow, rhythmically pounding nails as she fixed some loose boards, when a shout was heard from above. She immediately stopped, waiting for it to be repeated.

"Land, ho!" came the cry again. Alice froze, cold terror and pain gripping her heart. She suddenly wanted to run in every direction at once to escape, and was glued to the spot as a result. Heavy footsteps approached and she saw Jack and Gibbs appear. They cast her a glance, but kept running until they reached the railing. Jack's spyglass was out and he was looking through it, but he kept moving it around.

"What's the matter, Jack?" Gibbs asked sharply.

"This isn't right," he mumbled frantically. "Not right at all!"

"What's not right?" Gibbs asked, staring at Jack. He dropped to spyglass to his side and looked at Gibbs with wild eyes.

"Nothing!" he simply yelled and lifted the glass, once again peering around frantically.

"JACK!" Gibbs yelled, clearly frustrated, and Jack shoved the object into the other man's hands, not looking away. Gibbs lifted it immediately and peered through it. Alice saw that his actions quickly mimicked Jack's. "What the- What's happened?!" he cried desperately.

Alice was on her feet and at their side at once. "What's going on?" Her confusion derailed her earlier dread as she looked out, but she didn't see much. There was something, but the sight that met her eyes was not the same as it had been when she had gazed out at the island with Barbossa.

Jack turned and ran. Gibbs followed immediately and Alice went after them as they ran across the deck and up to the helm. Jack was looking between his mysterious compass and the sight before them, as Anamaria was yelling at him.

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Alice caught her saying.

"Get closer!" Jack bellowed in a panic. "And fast! FULL SAIL!" he roared to the crew below before running back down to the deck.

"What the hell is going on?!" Alice asked Gibbs, grabbing his arm as he went to follow the captain.

"The island seems to have sunk almost completely!" he howled.

"What?! But how, and—" Gibbs ran off, and she followed him quickly.

"I've no idea!" he yelled over his shoulder to her. "But we had better make haste if we are to reach it before it sinks completely!"

The entire crew was racing around the deck as they dropped canvas. The full sails carried them swiftly closer, and they were soon upon it, reefing their sails once more to slow their momentum. Gone were the jagged reefs and the foreboding black mass; gone, too, was the large cave entrance they had sailed into not so long ago. What remained now was now little more than a black cliff jutting from the sea. Isla de Muerta, with its mountains of treasures and the body of her dear captain, had indeed sunk.

No, was  _sinking_ , she realized as they watched the black cliff slowly retreating into the sea. Jack was beside himself with incoherent raving, and Gibbs was spewing out a seemingly endless stream of oaths. Alice was merely staring in disbelief when something caught her eye. She thought it was a bird of some kind, hopping around madly on the rock, but it jumped into the sea and began paddling over to them.

"Jack!" she yelled, and the captain ran to her side at once. But she wasn't addressing him; rather, she was addressing Barbossa's beloved pet monkey, who was quickly approaching their vessel. She threw a line and the monkey quickly scrambled up it, screeching at her excitedly as she pulled his wet form into her arms.

Captain Jack was not pleased by this in the very least. He set about hissing at and screaming about the monkey, but Alice just held the creature tight, her heart racing. She wondered how he had survived on the desolate island. The rest of the crew – namely the new recruits – were growing angry at the loss of their promised treasure. She was sure they were about to turn mutinous on the captain when another cry came from above.

"SAIL, HO! ENGLISH COLOURS TO STARBOARD!"

The entire crew froze, falling silent at once. Jack got his bearings back first, shoving Alice and Gibbs aside as he ran to the railing. The rest of the crew followed immediately. In the distance was a large ship with white sails, and Jack was already dropping his spyglass.

"Mary, Mother of God," Gibbs whispered.

"Full sail!" Jack yelled and ran for the helm. Alice released the monkey, who ran up into the rigging immediately, screeching wildly as the crew set about frantically once more, dropping canvas and securing lines.

"Should we lighten the load, Captain?" Gibbs called out to Jack.

"Nay! We need all we have!" was all he replied as the ship picked up speed. The older crew members, though frazzled, were not nearly as panicked as the new ones, who clambered about fearfully, muttering prayers and curses as they did what they could to get the ship to top speed.

Alice knew that the Black Pearl would be faster than the other ship, even without enough hands to man the oars, but that did not lessen her worries.


	4. Dagger Alice

The Black Pearl drifted slowly through the dark waters, carefully avoiding the dangerous shoals. With a splash the anchor was dropped, and the wood creaked as the forward momentum stopped, leaving the vessel to bob lazily in the lapping water. Three longboats were hurriedly lowered into the water, and they made for the shore without pause. As the boats were tied up, the bedraggled crewmembers crept through the jungle brush, heading for the small village and its tavern.

For several weeks they had been fleeing from the naval ship that had been ruthlessly tailing them. Even with the extra hands the crew was run ragged; they had been working in shifts to stave off exhaustion, but sleep did not come easy, nor was it particularly restful. Not to mention that the stores had already been low when they set out: Wanting to leave as much room as possible for treasure, they had not resupplied much in San Juan, and now they were dangerously low, with starvation quickly becoming a reality. Jack often grumbled about how they ought to eat the monkey, but even he was loath to do so – the smaller Jack, as they learned that first night after finding him, had seemingly pilfered some of the cursed treasure before it was lost to sea, resulting in him remaining undead.

Luckily, they had managed to lose the other ship among the numerous tiny Bahama Islands when it missed avoiding some nasty shoals. They had escaped, temporarily, and bought a little bit of time, quickly making for the small pirate haven where they now found themselves.

As appealing as it was, the few crewmembers who came ashore did not indulge in the tavern's offerings. Their purpose here was to resupply and get the hell out. With Jack's reputation preceding him, Anamaria, Gibbs, and Marty handled most of the transactions. With that squared away, Marty returned to the longboats while Anamaria, Gibbs and Alice recruited as many hands as they could, which was quite a decent number. It took two trips to get all of the supplies as well as the new crewmembers on board, and they weighed anchor just as dawn was beginning to colour the sky.

As they headed for sea, Jack briefed the new crew, and assigned shifts to all aboard. Their new, shorter shifts would allow them more time to rest, something for which everyone was grateful. Alice headed belowdecks, desperate for some respite from her exhaustion. That, however, was easier said than done. As the new recruits filtered in to stake out bunks, the noise level rose exponentially, reminding Alice of the din of a busy cafeteria. She clamped her eyes shut and covered her ears, but it didn't help much.

To make matters worse, Alice was quickly reminded that she was one of only two females on board this ship. She hadn't really considered it much before now, seeing as Barbossa's crew was cursed, and couldn't act on baser urges, and Jack's crew was skeletal until now. She largely ignored the jeers and catcalls, difficult though it was, and turned over in her hammock restlessly. She found some quiet once most of the crew went on deck to work, and she managed to eke out a few hours of sleep.

Her rest, however, was rudely interrupted.

Alice awoke with a start, exhaustion still clouding her brain, which was crying out for more sleep. She shook off whatever it was and nestled down, trying to force herself back into slumber. But she quickly froze as she felt a hand begin massaging her breast and heard heavy breathing behind her. She rolled over swiftly to see one of the new recruits grinning at her, one hand still on her breast and the other in his trousers, stroking away in a fast rhythm.

Alice's exhaustion, paired with her disgust, sent her into an immediate frenzy of rage. Her hand was around the man's throat in no time as she scrambled to her feet. He didn't have much time to react before she had wrapped his long hair around her left hand and was half dragging the now screaming man across the room and up the stairs. All crewmembers in the vicinity stopped as they came onto the deck, Alice looking murderous. She dragged the man to the main mast, pausing only to wrench out a dagger that was stuck into a crate along the way. As she stopped, she kicked the back of his legs, causing them to buckle, and he fell to his knees with a loud wail, Alice still holding him upright by his hair. Jack ran towards her, but she stopped him with a deadly look. Most of the crew had now assembled around them, chattering to one another.

"SILENCE!" she bellowed, and a hush fell over the crowd. "Since you are all present, let us get something clear," she started, satisfied that all were now paying attention. "I am not, under  _any_  circumstance, your  _plaything_. You are not to lay a hand on me, most especially when I am  _sleeping_ ," she growled, pulling the man's head back sharply, and a murmur went through the crowd. She registered many of the men looking at her skeptically, and a few even winked and elbowed each other, nodding in her direction. She smiled at them maniacally. "If you disagree with me on this, then let this serve as a warning." She swiftly plunged the dagger into the man's exposed throat, wrenching it upwards before pulling it out and releasing him. Many of the crew gasped as the man lurched around on the ground, pained gurgles the only sound escaping him along with copious amounts of blood. Alice lunged at his back, digging the blade into his spine and twisting it. The man arched back, his eyes rolling as he thrashed around in pain. He dropped as she pulled it out again, his body twitching in feeble spasms on the deck as the others looked on in horror. She kicked him over on his back and brought her boot down hard on his face with a sickening crunch.

"Any questions?" she asked, looking around at the crew. "No? Good. Now, clean this shit up."

The crowd parted as she made her way back to the stairs and down to the hammocks below. It took a while before she shook from the shock of what she had done. Many times in her life she had wondered what it would be like to kill someone, but she never imagined she could ever do it. It scared her how easy it had been, and she felt sickened by the fact that she felt little to no remorse for her action. She reminded herself that it was all part and parcel of the life she now lived, but that thought didn't do much to warm her as she curled up in a tight ball in her hammock, the dagger held close.

* * *

Alice awoke some time later from her rum soaked sleep. She sat up and stretched, looking around as she realized the room went suddenly silent. All eyes were on her, some wary, some fearful, and a few scornful.

"Good morning, gents," she crooned sarcastically as she stood. Satisfied that none replied, she grabbed up her satchel, deciding it was safest on her person, and made a show of grabbing the dagger as well. The men quickly looked away, returning to stiff conversation, and she smiled to herself. Sleep had definitely helped her feel more at ease with what she had done, disturbing as that thought was.

She was starting up the stairs when she heard someone murmur, "who the hell does she think she is?" She immediately stopped, locking eyes with the man who said it. He and the others fell silent once more, but he was glaring at her in a challenging manner.

"Who am I, you ask?" she began, her voice venomous as she walked back down the stairs and stepped toward him, dagger out. His eyes flicked to the dagger and then back to her face, but his expression didn't change. "I'm Dagger Alice.  _Wife_ ," she emphasized, "of Captain Hector Barbossa." His eyes widened at name of the late captain, and she saw a flicker of dread pass through them. She raised her eyebrow. "Any further questions you'd like answered?" He continued to glare at her, and she twitched the dagger, causing him to wince. "I thought not," she said before turning and making her way back up the stairs.

"Sleep well?" Jack asked with grin as she walked onto the deck.

"Can't complain," she replied with a dark smirk.

"While I won't argue that you made your message clear, you didn't have to… you know…" he gestured in the direction of the main mast with both hands.

"Didn't I?" she bit out before making her way to the galley, Jack's silence behind her.

She grabbed some fruit and bread, and a small measure of water, and returned to the deck, wanting to eat in the nice air of early dusk. She sat atop the forecastle, gazing out at the surrounding sea, and Jack soon joined her.

"Any sign?" she asked after swallowing a sip of water. Jack shook his head and sighed.

"I know they haven't given up that easily," he replied.

"Sail, ho!" cried Marty from the crow's nest, and Jack sighed again.

"That'll be them, I suppose," he said as he got to his feet and made his way toward the helm.

Alice finished eating quickly, and got to work. It was, indeed, a British naval ship, but they still managed to stay ahead of her as they made for the Leeward Islands.

* * *

It was close to a week before they managed to shake the other ship once more, but she caught up to them again quickly. Jack suggested that their best bet was to head out to open sea, but they were loathe to do so without a full resupply of the ship. They weren't low on stocks, but they would be far from any land for some time, and didn't want to take their chances.

Two more weeks passed before they managed lose the Navy again, and they headed back for Tortuga, stopping once again at San Juan along the way. Some of the crew left there, but they were replaced by many more, and doubly so in Tortuga. The ship was now quite full – a good thing if they were to end up battling against the Navy, but that was about the only upside Alice could see to there being so many hands.

A tropical storm was moving in, and they considered waiting it out, but word had reached their ears that the Navy was headed their way. They supplied the ship as fully as they could before setting sail once more, deciding to head West, away from the storm.

They hadn't made it far before they were set upon from several sides – the Navy had been waiting for them, knowing they would seek to avoid getting caught in the nasty weather. Warning shots fired from several of the ships, but Jack was not intimidated. He turned and sailed toward the heart of the storm, much to the protests of many of the new recruits. It was slow going and dangerous, but they managed to avoid the worst of it while achieving their goal of escaping once more, and headed out to open sea.


	5. Heartache and Hurricane

Alice sat alone in Jack's cabin one evening, mulling over her thoughts with a bottle of wine. She had found herself doing it frequently over the past few months, and Jack allowed it without asking a lot of questions. They had been sailing for over half a year, zig-zagging from one place to another when they weren't hiding out in open sea. This was another thing new to Alice, and each time she looked into the deep Atlantic waters, she couldn't quell her nervousness. She knew they would be screwed if anything happened out here, in the middle of nowhere. The silence also unnerved her; they hadn't seen more than a few ships in the past several months, and all but one had been merchant ships.

But that wasn't what consumed her thoughts this particular evening. She sat in her usual chair, her eyes transfixed on the object she was turning over in her hands. She stopped fidgeting and set the wooden box on the table, opening it once again. The burn mark on the light stared back mockingly at her, and she sighed as she ran her finger over it sadly.

It had been almost a year ago, to Alice anyway, that things had ended between her and Paul. Though she was now stuck far away from then and him, and so much had happened since that day, she found herself missing him. It had started about two months earlier when she sat in this room, in this very spot, and opened the box to see if anything had changed. It was that day that she resigned herself to the fact that she was permanently stuck here, in this time, and that made her feel the weight of that loss so much more.

Here she had lost someone, too, but she had not realized for a long time that the permanence of his death helped her to cope. Paul, however, was still alive in her time, as far as she knew. She wondered how his life was now; was he happy? Did he still work at Mark's office? Mark… She wondered about him, too, and David. How long had she been gone to them? She wondered whether they had gotten married yet, or if they had tried using the device to come for her. Her breathing hitched slightly as tears welled up in her eyes. She had done so much to put it all behind her, but still it remained buried deep. She soon found herself sobbing as everything overwhelmed her.

"I'm sorry," she eventually choked out, staring at the empty light, and she closed the box with a sense of finality, stowing it back within her bag, burying it beneath her other items.

It was some time later when Jack slipped into the cabin. He started slightly at finding her there still.

"Everything alright?" he asked, and Alice nodded. She had cried herself to sleep at the table, and woke up after a few hours feeling empty and disoriented. She stayed in there as it ebbed away, once more replaced by her resolve to carry on.

"I had—" she stopped to clear her throat; it was still a bit gravelly from her earlier crying. "I had to finally give up on it," she said softly. Jack stared at her for a moment before he glanced at the satchel, and his eyes dawned with understanding.

"Oh," was all he said as he made his way over to sit at the table. She watched as he popped the cork off another bottle of wine before eyeing hers. "Seems I have some catching up to do," he smiled and drank long and deep. Alice giggled and gulped from her own bottle. "Trying to make this harder on me?" he smirked and she merely grinned. "Not so easy with wine, but at least it's something," he said with a grimace after a few more long chugs.

They had managed to keep their stores stocked, thanks to the few merchant ships they had come across, but none of their prizes had contained much in the way of rum. Wine, on the other hand, was plentiful, as was brandy, though they had already depleted the latter barrels in an effort to keep the crew from turning mutinous. It had been decided that they would make their way toward the Mediterranean Sea; Jack said they would be far enough away from their pursuers there, but she felt like there was something he wasn't telling her. The normally unflappable captain had recently taken on a bit of a nervous edge, and Alice found that it unnerved her. She tried asking him about it once, but he denied it with a mask of cheeriness – a sure sign that something was amiss. Even Gibbs had noticed it, but he wasn't able to give Alice any insight on what could be causing it.

"Probably just concerned over how easy the Royal Navy gave up," was all he had offered, but Alice could tell he didn't believe that either.

Alice contemplated Jack as he was telling her a particularly amusing tale about his youthful adventures in Montserrat. There was something about this man that intrigued her, and she thought back to the first time she had seen him, back in Port Royal on that fateful day. Since then, he had changed her life in so many ways, both good and ill, and she wasn't sure why she fully trusted him, yet she did. Jack noticed the way she looked at him and stopped talking. She shook herself from her thoughts, and he raised an eyebrow at her as she stood.

"Something the matt—" his question was cut off as she stepped toward him and captured his lips. He froze for only a fraction of a second before pulling her onto his lap and kissing her back deeply. It was intense and rough, yet tender and full of desire on both their parts. His fingers tangled into her messy hair and she moaned into his mouth, pleased to hear him reply in kind.

It was some time before they broke the kiss, both of them breathing heavily as he searched her eyes.

"Take me, Jack," she whispered, and he grinned.

"As delectable as that proposition might be, dear Alice, I am afraid I cannot indulge you," he answered, his grin fading slightly. Alice's face fell.

"Why not?" she asked, still breathing hard.

"Because, as much as I desire you," he pressed his erection against her for emphasis, and she groaned, "you are… too much of Barbossa to me." She scrunched her eyebrows and he chuckled in response, stroking her face gently.

"How am…" she trailed off, frustrated and confused. Jack lifted her left hand, eyeing Barbossa's ring momentarily before placing her hand over her heart and holding it there.

"He lives on in you, love," he said softly, his smile turning slightly sad. He shook it off and grinned. "Besides, for some perplexing reason, I keep expecting him to walk through the door the moment I take you to my bed," he said with amusement, and Alice sighed in annoyance.

"He's dead, Jack."

"I know. All the more reason it bothers me," he laughed. Alice snorted lightly and shook her head.

"Whatever you say, Jack," she grumbled and tried to stand but he pulled her close, hugging her tightly.

"Be angry with me, if you want, love," he started, "but try to understand." Alice sighed and hugged him back.

"I wish I could," was all she replied, and he chuckled deeply.

* * *

Alice had expected that there would be awkwardness between them after that night, but she was quickly proven wrong. In fact, Jack had become much more relaxed around her, his casual flirtatiousness returning full force. Alice stopped trying to figure it out and just enjoyed it, flirting back as much, if not more, much to Jack's amusement.

They soon found themselves approaching land once more, a welcome sight for all aboard. They bypassed Azores, knowing it was a major stop along this passage, and they headed for Madeira instead. Only a few crew members left, but were replaced with a few more before they headed for the straits of Gibraltar. They made a few stops at smaller ports, Jack mysteriously disappearing for hours on end at each one and always returning in deep contemplation. Their crew grew rapidly as they travelled along the Barbary Coast, picking up men of all manner of nationalities. Though jovial and largely personable, something about these men made Alice very uneasy.

"They live by different codes 'round here," Gibbs told her when she shared her concerns with him. "Best be watchin' yer back, missy. As I've told Anamaria, you both ought to stay in Jack's cabin; be safer that way."

Anamaria had scoffed at the idea, Jack's lecherous quips about it turning her off to it even further. She chose to sleep in the galley, if needed. Alice, however, was much more keen on the idea, and Jack obliged, but with a condition.

"I'll share me bed with you, love, but don't go expecting any romps while you're there," he told her, his eyes serious despite his large grin. "Not that I'll completely be a gentleman," he added with a wink.

The first night proved interesting. Alice approached the empty bed with some apprehension – she had not so much as looked at it since the last time she had stayed in this cabin with Barbossa. She removed her jacket and boots and carefully crawled under the covers, unable to stop remembering that night. Jack joined her after a short time, removing his boots and jacket as well. Her sadness must have shown on her face, as Jack pulled her close after joining her and stroked her back as he held her. Though she couldn't stop them from coming, she managed to keep her tears to a minimum. Jack sighed as she sniffed loudly.

"I miss him, too, you know," he murmured, and Alice leaned back, looking at him oddly. "What?" he laughed. "The years I sailed with him aside, I spent near a decade chasing the bastard across the seven seas. Took me longer than you realize to figure what to do after that." Alice let out a small snort of laughter and shook her head smiling. She slept soundly in Jack's embrace all that night.

* * *

The morning did not bring good tidings with it, however. They were awoken by a frantic Gibbs just after dawn.

"What is the meaning of this?" Jack asked groggily. Alice tried to burrow under the covers to hide from the light and noise.

"She's on our tail, Jack!"

"Who is?" he grumbled.

"The Dauntless."

At those words, the sleeping pair bolted upright. Gibbs returned to the deck with Jack's bellowed instructions as the pair dressed and ran out to join the crew. No sooner were they climbing the stairs to the helm than a warning shot was fired. Alice clambered up into the rigging for a better look before scrambling down in horror – the ship had managed to gain on them, and they were nearly in firing range.

The cause was quickly brought to their attention: Two sheets had broken loose, and they didn't have enough extra rope to reattach the mainsail. Alice joined the crew in trying to remedy this as quickly as possible, while Jack took over at the helm, cursing loudly.

In the time it took them to mend and replace one of them, the Dauntless had begun firing its front guns, narrowly missing them with the first barrage. Their work was made much quicker when the portly pirate Tearlach found an extra sheet in the powder room, allowing them to replace it with more ease. The timing could not have been better, as the next barrage of cannon fire didn't entirely miss them, hitting them on the port stern.

The sail set back to rights, more crew made for the oars, and they took off at a far greater speed. A few of the other members noticed a storm in the distance, and Alice wondered whether Jack planned to attempt his escape as they had so many months earlier, as they seemed to be sailing toward it. Alice was unsure of whether it was a good plan this time, though; she doubted that the mended rope would hold up to such strong winds.

Though they had gained a good distance from the Dauntless, it wasn't to remain that way. As the winds grew stronger, their speed was greatly compromised. Jack had turned the ship to catch the wind better, but they were being tossed around precariously, losing more than one crewmember over the side of the pitching vessel. As much as that terrified Alice, it was nothing compared to the fear that struck her at the next call from the crow's nest.

"HURRICANE!" she heard the scraggly pirate Duncan bellow from high above, his words almost lost on the wind. It was a word quickly repeated over and over, from bow to stern, and Alice fought her way to the helm, almost going over the side of the stair railing with a particularly nasty gust of wind.

"What in the blazes are yeh doin'?" Alice screamed over the wind, almost incoherent with terror.

"We'll be fine!" Jack howled back, a manic glint in his eye.

"We'll never survive this!"

"The hell we won't!" Jack growled, his eyes never straying from the sea.

"You're mad!" Anamaria shrieked, appearing beside Alice. Jack's face hardened, but he didn't reply. "Get belowdecks! As many of the crew as possible!" she yelled at Alice.

"We have to reef the sails!" Alice replied.

"Leave enough who are able, and GO!" she roared, and Alice ran swiftly.

The deck pitched particularly hard, sending Alice flying as a wave dashed across the deck. She was sure she would go overboard, but strong arms grabbed her by the leg. It was Gibbs, and she quickly relayed Anamaria's message to the man before he shoved her into the cabin.

"Safer'n below!" was all he said, but Alice didn't completely agree.

The chairs were tumbling about, smashing into everything around, and she narrowly missed being crushed between the large table and the heavy support beam that stood in the center. The noise outside was deafening, and she heard a loud snap, knowing the mainsail had given way. Suddenly the entire ship rocked violently to one side, throwing Alice off her feet. She could make neither heads nor tails of her orientation, and then something smashed into her back. The last thing she registered was hitting her head hard against something, and then everything went black.


	6. Pains, Plans & Ports

She could feel something cold on her face, and hands shaking her as several voices spoke at once. The next thing she felt was sharp pain in her head, and she groaned loudly as more of her body chimed in with agony. She tried lifting her arms to grab her head, but they felt too heavy, so she tried opening her eyes instead. It seemed to take considerable effort, and the dimly lit room was too bright, as she winced and closed them again. She slowly recognized the voices as those of Jack and Marty, and she opened her eyes, little by little. Everything was blurry, but she kept blinking until her vision slowly cleared.

"She seems to be coming back," she heard Jack say and turned toward his voice. Her head seared with pain, and she hissed.

"Don't move," Marty sternly told her, and she realized he was dabbing a wet cloth on her face.

"Whuhapnd?" she managed to croak out. "Storrrm," she added, vaguely beginning to recall what had been occuring.

"You're in the cabin still, love. Storm's passed," Jack said.

"Whuh?" she opened her eyes again slowly.

"Drink this," Marty said, and her head was lifted a bit. He poured something in, but Alice tried to spit it back out; it tasted like bitter, sour rum. "Drink it!" he said and repeated the action, and this time she forced herself to comply. "It will help the pain." He gave her several more measures of it before her head was set back down; she realized it was on something soft.

"Wha happend?" she grumbled again.

"You got lucky," Jack said, and she snorted before groaning in pain again. "I mean it, love. I can only guess what happened but, best I can surmise, you got tossed underneath a ledge and hit by a crate. Sound about right?" Alice just grumbled incoherently; words seemed hard at the moment. "Well, whatever happened, that crate got stuck there, shielding you from any further damage. Could've been much worse, mate."

Alice blinked her eyes, her memory foggy. "I… ruhmembr… falling. Th'deck shifted, an' I fell. 'N' I… rolled. An'… An' summthing hit me… in th' back. An' I dunno aft'r that."

"I think that crate hit your head against the wall," Marty said, and Alice tried to look at him, but winced again in pain.

"Can you move your arms or legs?" Jack asked, and she tried, succeeding feebly. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Can you sit up?" Marty asked, and Alice tried. She was able to lift herself only a fraction before the pain became too much, but Jack's arm snaked underneath her back and lifted her the rest of the way up. She hissed and groaned, but he moved to sit behind her, holding her upright. "Here, drink," he pushed a cup to her lips containing more of the disgusting tincture, but she drank it, gingerly reaching a hand up to touch the bottom of the cup.

"Whatz is that?" she coughed, trying not to gag on the sickening taste.

"Willow bark. And rum," he added.

"Least it's got rum innit," she groused, and Jack laughed behind her.

Marty stood and, with Jack's help, they got Alice to her feet. Her legs felt heavy, and she couldn't stand without support, not to mention her entire body now throbbed in pain. They limped her over to the bed, and Jack carefully helped her into it, tucking the blanket around her.

"Sleep," Marty told her.

She tried to protest, but was too weak to put up much of a fuss. Jack offered to stay with her, and that calmed her some. Marty left more of the willow bark infusion on the bedside table and returned to the deck. Though she wanted to ask many questions, Alice succumbed to sleep rather quickly.

She awoke some time later to find herself alone in the bed, and tried rolling to one side. Her entire body still ached, but it was considerably duller, and she felt very stiff. She tried several times to sit up, fighting the sharp pangs until she succeeded.

"How are you feeling, love?" she looked over to see Jack sitting at the table surrounded by charts.

"Better, I suppose," she answered before yawning. She shifted across the bed slowly, and stood up gingerly, groaning as she did so.

"Need any assistance?" he offered, but she shook her head.

"S'alright, Jack." She stood in place for a moment to allow her head to settle, and then carefully made her way to the table, tenderly sitting in what she now considered to be her chair. "Where are we?" she asked, gesturing toward the charts as her brain began to unfog.

"Near Malta. The hurricane threw us a bit."

"The Dauntless!" she suddenly gasped, wincing as bit as her head twinged with a sharp pang, and Jack chuckled.

"No clue. I doubt she was fool enough to follow us into the storm, Royal Navy or no."

"What do we do now?"

"The plan is to drop anchor on the Eastern side of Malta, where we should be able to carry out some repairs."

"How bad is she?"

"Not as much as one would expect, considering what we just went through," Jack chuckled. "Shouldn't be more than a few weeks." Jack rolled up the chart he had been working with and stood up. "Need to give Mr. Cotton our new heading. Think you're up for going out on deck?"

Alice nodded and stood slowly, wincing once more. "It wouldn't do to sit around. Need to get my muscles moving."

Jack made her drink more of the infusion before they ventured out of the cabin. She noted that Jack walked slowly, staying near enough to her in case she needed an arm to steady her. The bright sunlight took a few moments to adjust to, and she followed him to the helm. As he gave Cotton instructions, she looked out across the deck, leaning on a railing for support. It didn't look too bad, she surmised as she watched the crew trying to fix the sails. At least the masts were still intact, though she guessed that was a result of the sails being less so.

It was slow going as they limped toward Malta, anchoring in a small sheltered cove to the Southeast. The journey took several days, much of which Alice spent resting. It helped and, by the time they arrived, she was feeling much more restored, the pain little more than deep tissue aching. As they made for the longboats, Alice began to notice how much of the crew they had lost. They were still numerous, but she guessed only about two thirds remained. Something crossed her mind suddenly, and she began to look around as Gibbs ushered her into one of the boats.

"Gibbs?" she started once they were lowered into the water, and he looked at her kindly. "Where's Anamaria?"

His face fell immediately, and he turned away. It took Alice a moment to register his reaction, and her heart sank. While she had never exactly been close with the girl, they had developed a friendship all the same. And Anamaria was an amazing woman – bold, fierce, and not afraid to speak her mind or hold her own. Alice stared at the clear blue water as they bobbed along its surface. As morbid thoughts clouded her mind surrounding the woman's demise, she shook them away, turning to face the approaching island instead. It wouldn't do to dwell on such things; what happened, happened, and there was nothing she could do to change that. She tried to keep her thoughts from fixating on the countless others who also had met their demise at sea, but it was difficult.

* * *

Being on the island helped Alice more than she thought possible. They were greeted kindly by the villagers there, who supplied them with food and drink, and even went so far as to help them with repairs. Alice even learned to fish with a spear; though she wasn't very good at it, she still managed to catch a few fish, which she found quite exciting. Seeing as she wasn't terribly good with it, some of the natives supplied her with a net, which she vastly preferred. She also found some peace there, realizing how long it had been since they were last able to relax. Her acceptance of the fact that she would remain in this time also gave her a new appreciation for the environments in which they found themselves.

Jack, however, was becoming more withdrawn. She wasn't the only one to notice, though only what remained of his original crew saw it, the new recruits unfamiliar with the depths of the odd man's behaviour. When he wasn't in the Pearl's cabin, he was disappearing for days at a time on the island. Alice tried to ask him about it a couple of times; "Just getting some things in order," was all he would reply with an overcompensating smile that did nothing to hide the shadows darkening in his eyes.

Alice was both sad and relieved when it came time to set sail. She missed being out at sea, and the rapidly changing backdrops, but she would miss the calm this stop had afforded them. She knew they would have to face the Royal Navy again, and she wasn't enthusiastic about that prospect.

She was also a bit trepidatious as to Jack's next plan. He said they would be heading further East in search of something quite valuable. Most of the crew was excited about this prospect, having nothing to show for how long they had been at sea. But Alice couldn't help but feel as though something wasn't right. For one, the plan seemed incredibly complicated, and Jack was adamant about going ashore alone, something that made her wary as to its nature - and his intentions. Gibbs joined her in addressing her concerns to the captain, but he answered it with rum, which appeased the older man.

Alice sighed and rolled her eyes, knowing she just had to trust Jack, and decided that maybe rum wasn't such a bad idea.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Alice asked Jack as he went over the plan once more. It seemed insane but, then again, so did the man in question.

"As sure as I can be, love. Nothing is certain, especially not life. Just go with the flow and hope for the best," he grinned, obviously trying to put her at ease. Alice huffed and shook her head.

"Okay. I'm trusting you, Jack." He stepped close and put his hands on her shoulders.

"That's all I ask," he said, his face serious. "Besides, if things  _don't_  go to plan? At least you'll still have your head," he smiled, and Alice barked out a bitter laugh.

She accompanied him to the deck, and she noticed that most of the crew was standing on the port side, gazing out in a state of almost awe. Jack paused and then followed their gaze; Alice, too, looked, and saw a small ship anchored a short way from them, though far enough that they could not make out anyone who was on board. Jack resumed his trek to the waiting longboat, and Alice watched nervously as he was lowered into the water and began to sail toward the other ship.

"Who is that?" Alice asked Gibbs in confusion. He glanced around, and she quickly noticed that the others had all looked to him for an answer, too.

"No idea," he answered with an unconvincing smile. "Now we drink and wait," he said a little too quickly and walked off, the rest of the crew watching him.

And that was precisely what they did. The ship sailed a few leagues away from the coast and dropped anchor in a heavy fog that seemed to eerily avoid the outcropping of land. Largely obscured, they spent the time drinking and gambling, trying to conceal their worry as the days seemed to drag by in impossible stretches. Every morning, shortly before dawn, Alice would watch Gibbs stand to starboard and take out his spyglass, attempting to view the shore for any sign of Jack. She would watch his face hopefully, but was always crestfallen when he lowered the glass and walked away.

Alice's thoughts began to turn dark after the second week. Was Jack even still alive? What would happen to the Pearl if he didn't return? This train of thought occupied her for quite some time. It had been Barbossa's ship when she first boarded, and then it was Anamaria's when they had abandoned Jack at Isla de Muerta. Upon their return to it, however, it was Jack's ship. With all three of them dead, who would take possession of her? With that troublesome inquiry naturally came Alice's next thought: What would become of herself in the event that someone else became captain? If it was Gibbs or Marty or Cotton – unlikely, but an option – or any of the remaining motley crew, she felt she might be safe. But if one of the new mates somehow took over… She shuddered, not wanting to go down that path just yet.

It was near the end of their third week when all that changed. Alice stood quietly beside Gibbs, who was once more gazing out in the moonlit darkness. She was about to turn away as he started to lower his glass, but stopped when he quickly raised it once more.

"That crazy bastard," he grumbled with a smile before adding loudly, "It's Jack!"

The crew ran to the side of the ship and joined them in looking out. Something was moving toward them in an awkward rhythm, but she couldn't see what it was until Gibbs offered her the spyglass. The sight that met her eyes caused a sharp laugh to escape – it was Jack, sure enough, but he appeared to be rowing a coffin! The reason for his odd rowing was revealed as he clambered up the ladder on the side of the ship carrying the partially rotted leg of the coffin's primary occupant.

"Not quite according to plan," Gibbs merely stated as Jack shoved the decaying limb into his hands. Gibbs pulled a face and tossed it overboard.

"Complications arose, ensued… were overcome," he answered flatly.

"Got what you went in for, then?" Gibbs couldn't conceal the excited glint forming in his eye. In answer, Jack merely pulled out a scrap of cloth, waving it excitedly as he strode off; Gibbs' face fell slightly at this, and Alice looked confused.

The entire crew surrounded Jack, stopping him from advancing.

"Cap'n, I think the crew – meaning me, as well," Gibbs quickly added, "were expecting something a bit more…  _shiny_ ," he waggled his fingers to emphasize his point. Jack lowered his gaze in annoyance. "What with the Isla de Muerta going all pear-shaped, reclaimed by the sea, and the treasure with it."

"And the Royal Navy chasing us all around the Atlantic," added Leech, a grumpy man with a heavy accent whom they had picked up along the Barbary Coast.

"And the hurricane," growled Marty, causing the rest of the crew to grumble in agreement, and even Alice had to give them that. Jack was quickly becoming angered, though he was mostly hiding it.

"All in all, it's seemed some time since we did a speck of honest piratin'," Gibbs added, a pained smile on his face. Jack eyed them for a moment.

"' _Shiny_ '?" he asked Gibbs.

"Aye, ' _shiny_ '." Jack looked around at them all.

"Is that how you're all feelin', then? That, perhaps, dear ol' Jack is not servin' your best interests as captain?" There was a menace in his voice, and Alice shifted uncomfortably. The rest of the crew eyed each other, but were silent.

"Walk the plank!" Cotton's parrot squawked, and Jack's pistol was out in an instant, cocked and trained on the bird as Alice tried to conceal a gasp. Cotton covered the bird's mouth, trying to silence him.

"What did the bird say?!" Jack roared.

"Do not blame the bird," Leech added, and everyone looked toward him. "Show us," he glanced at the item in Jack's other hand, "what is on that piece of cloth there." Everyone else eyed it, too.

Suddenly, monkey-Jack – in his undead form - dropped in front of Jack's face, screeching loudly. Everyone jumped at his sudden appearance. Jack let out a yell of fright and fired his pistol, but missed hitting the monkey and, luckily, any of the crew. He yelped as the monkey grabbed the cloth from his hand and took off running. Jack quickly grabbed another pistol and shot the monkey, who released the cloth and scampered away. Even though Alice knew he couldn't harm the creature, she still winced.

"You know that don't do no good," Gibbs said with exasperation.

"It does me," Jack growled.

Marty scurried over and grabbed the cloth, opening and examining it.

"It's a key," he said in annoyed confusion. Jack immediately ran to him, hands up excitedly.

"No! Much more better!" Alice was very confused, as well, as she watched the insane captain smiling gleefully. "It is a  _drawring_  of a key," he announced, holding it open for all to see. They moved in closer, looking between the picture in question and Jack. Alice cocked an eyebrow at him. Jack's face fell slowly. "Gentlemen, what do keys do?" he asked, eyeing them all. They looked around, mouths moving as they worked to form words, wondering if this was some sort of trick question.

"Keys…" Leech started, "unlock… things?" Understanding dawned in Gibbs' eyes.

"And, whatever this key unlocks, inside there's something valuable?" he asked, rubbing his fingers together. "So, we're setting out to find… whatever it is this key unlocks?" Jack's face lit up and he pointed at Gibbs.

"No," he said, furthering everyone's confusion. Alice was starting to become quite annoyed at this back and forth. Jack stepped closer to Gibbs. "If we don't have the key, we can't open whatever it is we don't have that it unlocks. So what purpose would be served in finding whatever need be unlocked, which we don't have, without first finding the key what unlocks it?"

"So… we're goin' after this key!" Gibbs grinned, but Jack leaned forward, eyeing him.

"You're not makin' any sense 't'all," Jack said, and Alice rolled her eyes.

"Any more questions?" Jack asked, looking around at the crew.

"Oh, a few," Alice grumbled, but Jack just glared at her.

"So… d'we have a heading?" Marty asked hopefully. Jack turned and looked at the short man.

"Ah! A heading!" Jack raised his finger pointedly and pulled out his compass. Everyone watched, a few closest to where Jack stood leaning forward. "Let's sail in a… err…" his finger was still up, waving around erratically, and several of them watched it, waiting to see which way he pointed. "General…" He pointed to the right, but then pointed completely opposite to his left, adding, "that way… direction." He closed the compass, and Alice just stared at him. What the hell had happened to him in there?

"Captain?" Gibbs asked worriedly. Jack turned to look at him, his face somber yet strained.

"Come on, snap to, and make sail; you know how this works," he said, making his way through the assembled crowd. "Go on… oi, oi," he muttered, flapping the scrap of fabric to shoo them out of his way.

The grumbling crew parted and headed to their posts. Alice stared after his retreating back in disbelief; as odd as Jack was, this was unusual behaviour indeed. She walked over to the port side of the deck, following Gibbs and Marty.

"'ave you noticed, lately," Marty said somberly, "the captain be acting a bit strange… er," he added at Gibbs' sharp glance. The other man turned to face the sea.

"Settin' sail without knowin' 'is own heading? Somethin's got Jack vexed. And, mark my words, whatever bodes ill for Jack Sparrow bodes ill fer us all," he answered, looking around.

"What d'you think it could be?" Alice asked, and both men spun around, not realizing she was standing there. Marty shrugged, and Gibbs just shook his head.

"I never seen the captain act like this before," he said. "Puts me ill at ease." He walked off slowly, gathering his thoughts as he strode slowly across the deck.

"I don't trust it, whatever it is," Marty added, looking up at the dark clouds moving in across the sky, their lightning visible in the distance. Alice agreed, resolving to talk to Jack further in private.


	7. Lamentable Landing

Alice knocked on the door to Jack's cabin, the rain from the storm overhead pouring over her. She would have normally just walked in, seeing as this was where she now slept, but she didn't know what sort of mood he was in still. When there was no reply, she knocked again, this time earning a loud grumble. She opened the door and strode in, earning a glare from Jack.

"I didn't say you could enter," he ground out, but Alice smirked.

"You didn't say not to, either," she answered, striding over to the table. Jack set down his instruments and haphazardly rolled up the chart he had been plotting. "What's going on, Jack?" He glanced at her, but quickly looked away, pretending to shuffle through some papers. "Jack," she growled, giving the man a hardened stare.

"None of your business," he grumbled.

"The hell it isn't!" she yelled, pleased to see him jump slightly.

"Don't you have work to do?" he asked, standing quickly and striding between Alice and the table.

"Don't try to change the subject," she said pointedly. Jack stared at her for a long moment before stepping around behind her. She turned to face him and he quickly moved forward, trapping her against the table so that she had to look up to see his face. He was now grinning maliciously, and she tried to work out why.

"Perhaps," he started, "everything is just getting to me. Stress," he added, grabbing her hips tightly. Alice gasped. "And perhaps, if you've no other work to do, you'd like to help me." He kissed her roughly, and Alice fought to not kiss him back. His fingers quickly tangled in her wet hair and he gave a small, sharp tug; when she yelped in response he drove his tongue into her mouth, grinding against her with his hips. Alice tried pushing him away, but he wouldn't relent, so she did the only thing she could – she bit him. However, this did not have the effect she intended, as he now shoved her back on the table, quickly crawling on top of her. "Don't want to play nice? I don't have to," he growled, nipping sharply at her neck.

"Jack, stop!" Alice yelled, pounding her fists against his back.

"You're only making me enjoy this more," he said, squeezing her breasts roughly through her soaking wet clothing. "Isn't this what you've wanted?"

Alice quickly changed tactics. She tangled her fingers into his hair and pulled his face to hers, kissing him deeply and passionately. This had the intended effect, as Jack suddenly tried to back off. She held him fast with one hand, using the other to roughly pull at his gnarled dreadlocks. This time, he bit her.

"Ouch!" she howled and, in the instant she loosened her grip on him, Jack was off of her, standing a couple feet away and glaring. She brought her hand up to her lip, which was now bleeding. "What the fuck did you do that for?"

"You started it," he responded childishly, his eyes watching her warily.

"What is your problem?" she hissed, getting to her feet.

"My  _problem_?" he asked angrily. "My  _problems_ , is more like it!" he yelled, emphasizing the plural.

"And they are…?"

"Still not your business!" Alice just stared at him incredulously for a long moment.

"You know what? Fine. I'll go and leave you to your  _problems_ ," she spat.

"Fine by me," he grumbled, walking around her and back to his seat, his eyes never leaving her. Alice strode to the door angrily, glaring back at him when she reached it.

"Whatever they are, you had better figure them out. For all our sakes," she growled and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

The storm was considerably mild, though that did not make it any more enjoyable to work in. Alice wandered the deck, monitoring the rigging; much of the crew was asleep belowdecks, so it would be best to catch any problems early. Though still annoyed, she was no longer in a furious rage at Jack. It was clear that something weighed heavily on the captain and, though she was desperate to know what it was that would cause him to act so unlike himself, she was resigned to waiting for the answer. She took a long swig from the bottle in her hand, happy that the rain had mostly stopped. The deck was pitching about, but it was not as bad as the first storm they had lost the Royal Navy in, and it definitely didn't compare to the hurricane. She carefully made her way to the helm, greeting Cotton with a smile which he returned in kind. Gazing out across the sea, she could make neither heads nor tails of where they were, and she wondered if the mute man knew.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a voice wailing out unintelligible words, and she ran to the railing to peer at the deck below. She saw Jack running across the deck frantically, screaming out a long diatribe, with Gibbs and the rest of the crew scrambling about in his wake. As he began lashing himself to the mast, Alice ran down toward him, but Gibbs was there first.

"Which port?" he asked Jack.

"Didn't say 'port'; said 'land'; any land," she heard Jack reply.

"What is it now?" she asked.

Jack's retort was cut off as monkey Jack swooped down and grabbed the captain's beloved hat, scampering off into the rigging with it. Jack hissed at the monkey, and they watched in horror as the creature threw Jack's hat over the side and into the raging sea. Many of the crew ran to the side, looking down into its depths.

"Jack's hat!" Gibbs yelled. "Bring her about!" he called.

"No!" Jack said. "Leave it!" The entire crew stopped and, in that instance, Alice and the rest of the crew knew something was terribly wrong; Jack cherished that hat more than anything, save his compass and the Pearl. "Run," he simply said before running to hide behind the stairs outside his cabin door.

The entire crew was still frozen, except for Gibbs, who turned to look at them.

"Back to your stations, the lot of yeh!" He yelled before walking over to Jack, and Alice followed. "Jack?" he asked quietly, but the captain merely shushed him. Gibbs looked around at the crew and then back to him. "For the love of mother and child, Jack, what's coming after us?" he asked in a whisper, and Alice saw Jack look about a bit frantically before locking eyes with Gibbs.

"Nothing," he huffed out.

"What?" Gibbs replied in disbelief.

"Nothing!" he hissed. "Now… land!" Gibbs stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head and running up to the helm.

Alice stared at Jack from between two of the steps. She opened her mouth to say something, but his eyes locked with hers; the terror in those depths, visible through the darkness, was enough to shock her into silence, and she followed in Gibbs' wake.

* * *

It was a mark of their fear that the crew worked diligently, not once asking further questions about Jack's panic-stricken outburst. Even Alice didn't ask about it, but she was deeply puzzled; Jack's erratic behaviour only served to intensify that. He restlessly wandered between his cabin and every deck, striding uneasily from bow to stern and back in no discernible pattern. Not wanting to raise his ire once more - and not wanting to be consumed with his frantic and nonsensical mutterings - Alice had taken to sleeping in the galley. She was still wary of being belowdecks with many of the new crew, and access to the galley was fairly well-monitored. But the time spent sleeping in an actual bed had made sleeping on wood much less tolerable. She hoped they would make port soon, and perhaps find out what Jack was in such a panic about.

However, for someone desperate to get to land, Jack didn't make it easy for them. They tried to drop anchor several times, but Jack would always stop them, saying they had to get further away, and so they continued on Westward. As they trailed along the African coast, they began spotting many sails in the distance – more than any of them were comfortable with, especially since many were English. When Jack told them that they had worse things to worry about than the Royal Navy, their worry became too much to handle.

Gibbs decided it would be best to return to the Caribbean, thinking it would help to return Jack's sanity some, but their captain fought tooth and nail against the idea of crossing the open ocean. Finally it was Marty who managed to subdue Jack long enough for them to make the crossing: He dipped into his medicinal supplies, pulling out his stock of opium. Jack readily indulged in it; the drug's supply consumed him long enough for them to make it halfway through the journey. However, his distress returned fourfold when he came out of his haze to find them in the middle of open water.

What was worse, it had been too long since they had last careened the ship, and the growth along their keel was compromising their speed more and more. Jack had reached the point of stark-raving mad by the time they sighted land once more.

"Pull in and drop anchor at once!" he proclaimed wildly, becoming a babbling mess as they sailed on in search of a sheltered cove to put in to.

They found one relatively quick and, before they could even drop anchor, Jack dove off the side of the ship and swam for the shore. Alice's stress and frustration from this journey melted away quickly as, after seeing this, she began to snicker, and was soon caught up in howling, tearful laughter. And she wasn't the only one – most of the crew had joined in, even the ones who were trying to fight it.

Once they had managed to calm themselves down from their outburst of hysteria, they set about careening the ship. Duncan and Tearlach gathered a search party to go looking for Jack, and many of the newer crew joined them, happy to get away from the vessel. Once the tide was perfect, the remaining crew set to work, hauling the Pearl to her side as best they could. It would have been quicker work if not for the fact that they refused to unload the ship; they wanted nothing more hindering them from escaping in case the navy found them here. Though it was hard work, they managed to get quite a lot of it done quickly, thanks to their large numbers. When the worst of it was done, most of the crew set off to find Jack and the others, who had not returned. The remaining dozen or so were able to complete the work without too much difficulty, though it took longer than they would have liked.

Once finished, they found a spring and resupplied their stores of water, and even managed to catch some wild game nearby. Their concern for the others kept growing until Gibbs decided they ought to do some scouting. Cotton and a bulky man named Jerome stayed behind to keep an eye on the ship, and the rest headed ashore, wary of what they might find.

The jungle was dense, and Alice was cursing the mosquitos within the first ten minutes, much to Marty's amusement.

"It's funny until we all come down with malaria," Alice grumbled, effectively silencing his chuckles.

That first night after everyone else had prepared to sleep, Alice found herself deep in thought, once again pulling out the time-travel device. She couldn't bring herself to open it this time, though, and she turned it over in her hands. She knew now that, even if the light had somehow returned, it was unlikely that she would return to her time again. So much had happened here, and she was irrevocably changed by it all. She sighed sadly and sat there nodding her head, a few tears escaping. She closed her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered to herself. "Mark, David… Even Paul." A sad smile crept across her face, and she set the device on the ground, covering it with some of the surrounding earth and patting it softly. She turned over and lost herself in her thoughts, sleep claiming her rather quickly.

* * *

"We should have found something by now," Gibbs told them at the end of their second day.

"It's eerie," Marty stated. "I feel like we're being watched." Everyone involuntarily looked around after he said this, and Alice couldn't shake that feeling all through the night.

It was just before midafternoon on the third day of trekking when Leech spotted something on the ground. He plucked it off the ground and turned it over in his hands.

"It's Kursar's hat!" Marty exclaimed, pointing at the battered straw accessory.

They looked at one another uneasily as Leech further examined it. There was a sudden rustling of leaves and, before they could draw their weapons, they were surrounded by numerous natives wielding spears and daggers.

* * *

They had tried putting up a fight, but they were vastly outnumbered and soon found themselves with crude weapons to their throats before being bound together, except for Alice. The natives were incredibly wary of her, and they didn't even want to take her at first, an argument ensuing between several of them.

"Dabu dabu bombalay!" one had shouted, staring at her wide-eyed.

"Ah, meranta dabu dabu," another had said, nodding his head as he too looked at her.

They carried on like this for several moments, with 'dabu dabu' the only words being repeated every time they looked at her. They finally came to a consensus and forced her to walk ahead of the rest, several weapons trained on her, as they were led far inland.

"This is awful," Alice had whispered tearfully as they were forced across a very rickety bridge.

"Aye, an' it gets worse," Gibbs grumbled. "These're the Pelegostos." Several of the others gasped at these words, but Alice knitted her brows in confusion.

"And…?" she coaxed.

"Cannibals," Marty clarified, and Alice was horror stricken.

"Great," she replied mournfully. "Since you know so much," she directed at Gibbs, "any chance you know what 'dabu dabu' means?"

"Can't make heads nor tails o' what they be blabb'rin' about," he answered. "Jack'd know, if he were here, that's fer sure."

"Fat lot o' good that does me," Alice huffed. Her thoughts turned morbid as she contemplated Jack's demise.

She didn't have to think about it for too long, though. They reached the village proper that night, the natives stirring into a frenzy at the sight of more 'food'. Alice received more glares, and even a few hisses, and the words 'dabu dabu' were repeated often in her direction. She just continued forward at spear point until she saw something that made her stop cold.

Seated before them, on an elaborate throne half constructed with skulls and bones, and crowned with a large headdress, was none other than Captain Jack Sparrow.


	8. Reunions

"Jack!" several of them yelled at once. A wave of relief swept through Alice at seeing the captain, and she was sure the others felt the same.

"Help us!" "Do something!" "What is going on?" The cries all came at once, but Jack merely raised a hand to silence them.

He stood slowly, eyeing them oddly by the light of a large fire, and Alice could feel her excitement starting to fade away.

"Meratu bombalay! Dabu dabu shukita!" one of their captors addressed Jack directly. He raised an eyebrow and looked at the man.

"No dabu dabu," he scoffed, his eyes flicking to Alice and then back to the man.

"Seya dabu dabu!" he yelled, followed by a few others.

Alice watched intently as Jack exchanged more words she didn't understand with a few of the others. He stopped speaking about her and, as best she could guess, began commenting about the other pirates. Some sort of arangement was reached, and they were led away, but Alice was left standing there, several weapons still trained on her.

With the others gone, they resumed talking about Alice. She remained quiet for a few moments before she snapped, hissing at Jack.

"What the hell does 'dabu dabu' mean?!" she yelled, but Jack and the others merely eyed her before resuming conversation. She gritted her teeth in annoyance.

The conversation became quite heated, but an agreement of some kind seemed to be worked out, and soon they were leading Alice away. She tried to protest, especially when Jack sat once more upon the elaborate throne, but she was rewarded with a small sharp stab in the arm. They took Alice a short ways away to a crude cage of sorts, made of bamboo and bones, and she shuddered as they stuffed her inside, tying it closed using a small rope and several elaborate knots, over which something slimy had been poured. As soon as they walked away she began to shake the cage, yelling loudly.

Despite its fragile appearance, the cage seemed quite sound, she soon realized, before sitting down cross-legged in frustration. It wasn't very big, but she had enough room to stand, plus enough space to stretch her arms out on all sides. She kept fidgeting, running her hands along various points looking for a weak spot, but she found none.

_Great_ , Alice thought.  _We're finally back home to the Caribbean, and now I'm going to be eaten_. She snorted.

" _Good thing I don't have the device on me anymore_ ," she mocked herself in a high-pitched voice, seething, but then sighed, realizing it wouldn't have done her any more good than it had before. It was some time before she managed to fall asleep uncomfortably.

She awoke the next morning in a panic, having temporarily forgotten the events from the previous night. Trying to keep from crying, Alice brought her knees to her chest, curling into a tight ball. She noticed someone had placed a few off bits of fruit nearby, and she grabbed them, eating quickly. Other than the occasional visitor walking by, she was pretty much alone, left with only her thoughts. She wondered more than once how long before she went completely mad.

Alice managed to retain her sanity over the next several days, but it was becoming harder all the time. She drew on the wet ground with twigs, even writing from time to time, but quickly found her attention dwindling. With increasing frequency she would stand up and start attacking the cage, kicking and hitting the bars as she screamed, and she even tried picking at the knot. Whatever they had poured over it made it impossible to undo, though, and she soon gave up on that, too, her bloody fingertips aching for a break.

Time seemed to blur together, and Alice lost track of how long they had been held captive. This was further compounded by the fact that, trapped in the sweltering jungle without adequate food or water, she was regularly slipping in and out of consciousness with increasing frequency. Were they planning on eating her, or would she simply waste away? But why then were they feeding her at all?

One day she was awoken by the sound of loud, frantic drumming. Though the sound of drums was not unusual, this was different – more feverish and intense. As she made to stand up, she noticed that, for the first time since she had been here, her meal had been placed inside of the cage, and included two large coconuts. She scoffed, wondering how she was supposed to open them, but she found her answer as she consumed the rest of the offerings: Beneath the rest of the fruit she found a crude stone dagger.

She glanced around manically, looking to see if anyone was near. She quickly hid the dagger as two natives ran by, and it took her a moment to realize that the coconuts would be full of water, something for which she was desperate. She stabbed at them frantically until they cracked, and drank the water greedily before attacking the fruit inside. When she had her fill, she peered around again for any sign of more natives; none had passed by since she saw the two running toward the sound of drums, and she hoped it would stay that way. Armed with the stone dagger, she began feverishly attacking the rope holding her cage closed.

In mere minutes she had managed to work her way through it, but she restrained herself from bursting out and running until after she had another look around. She opened the cage slowly, her eyes darting around fearfully until something else caught her eye: Her pack had been hung on a nearby tree. She snatched up the remaining coconut pieces, took one more look around, and then made a run for it, grabbing her bag as she ran past the tree. She slung it over her shoulder, stuffing the fruit inside as she did so, and continued running. She wasn't sure which way she was going; she just wanted to get as far away from the village as possible. She nearly fell flat on her face as she skidded to a stop in fear at the approach of a familiar landmark – the rickety bridge they had been led across on the way here. Happy that she was at least going the right direction, she swallowed her terror and scrambled over it as quickly as she could, resuming her manic fleeing as soon as she got to the other side.

Her breath was coming in sharp gasps as her lungs burned painfully, but she did not care in this instant. Her survival depended on her not stopping, and she continued tearing blindly through the jungle, once more feeling lost. She was not willing to stop until she reached the ocean, and her terror of being caught was starting to war with the terror of being lost. Thankfully, she recognized a few more areas they had passed through on their way in, and she couldn't help but be slightly amused as she realized how little ground they had covered during their wary travel inland. She knew it was because they were being cautious and searching for clues, but still it made her laugh in her current state of madness.

She was starting to grow quite dizzy; her lack of adequate food or water mixed with the heat did not lend her much in the way of energy, and her body was threatening to merely shut down. Still she fought to remain conscious, blinking rapidly each time her vision began to blur. In the near distance she saw what she thought was the small clearing they had slept in the night before they were caught, and stopped for a moment upon seeing someone there. Though she couldn't see them too clearly, she managed to make out that they were not dressed like one of the natives, nor did they appear to be in any kind of naval uniform. This seemed to give her a huge rush of renewed adrenaline, and she ran toward the clearing with all the strength she could muster.

She tried to get a better bead on who the person might be as she got closer, but she couldn't tell. She fought through the thick foliage desperately, noting that the person seemed to have gone still, and she realized it was quite likely she could be mistaken for a native and be shot. She had been trying to avoid yelling, not want to attract specific attention, but now she had to say something.

"I'm not a native!" she yelled, surprised by how ragged her voice sounded. "I'm not a Pelegosto! Don't shoot! Please!" She continued yelling as she fought through the last few trees. "Please don't attack! Please d—" As she broke into the clearing, Alice went silent, and she came to a dead stop; even her breath stopped for a moment. She began shaking her head very slowly, eyes wide. "No," she uttered as her breathing returned, the gasps rapidly becoming more frantic. "No…" she repeated, no other words forming in her mind.

Across the clearing, standing stone still with eyes just as wide, was none other than Paul.

* * *

Alice had stopped speaking entirely and just stood there blinking her eyes rapidly. Her head was swimming with delirium, and this did not help.

"I'm fucking hallucinating now. Great," she said to him as he just stared in disbelief. "I don't need this. Brain, why would you do  _this_  to me?!" she huffed irritably as she gestured toward him. "Right then. Cheerio!" she mock saluted him and began to walk across the clearing, ready to start running again.

"Alice," he whispered and she froze, eyes wide in panic. "Is it really you?" he asked, voice trembling. She took a step back and turned to face him.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "It can't be you." Her feet felt like lead, but she dragged them forward to take a step closer, her head still shaking. "There's no way…" Her gaze immediately darted to his hands and then back to his eyes, her own now flashing between rage, sadness and disbelief.

He glanced down at his own hands. In one hand he held the device she had buried; in his other was its pristine duplicate.

Alice whipped around as the sound of drums seemed to reappear; she knew they had not stopped, but was not sure if she had tuned them out, or if they had gotten louder. "Shit!" she yelped and spun around. She grabbed Paul by the arm. "RUN!" she screamed before dragging him along as she took off. He stumbled but scrambled to keep up with her as she released his arm. "Put those in here, quick!" she shouted, slowing just slightly and opening her bag. He shoved them in and she resumed her speed as she closed it up.

"What is going on?!" he yelled from just behind her.

"I'll explain later! Just don't stop!" Alice's mind was whirring. She had a million questions, and many more expletives that she wanted to let loose, but she was in survival mode and knew it could wait; those answers would likely not help them in this situation. She shut them out as best she could, focusing instead on their current predicament.

The shore was in sight, and Alice let out a shriek of excitement as she glimpsed the ship; it was still there. As they broke through the trees, she saw that someone was hard at work righting the ship, and she ran at full speed across the sand toward them. Her excitement at seeing the ship was nothing compared to who it was that was doing the work: Pintel and Ragetti. She started screaming ecstatically, her relief at seeing the ship almost dwarfed by their presence.

"It's Alice!" screamed Ragetti in reply from on deck, and she ran into the surf, throwing her arms around Pintel.

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" she kept repeating, her eyes filled with tears as she sobbed happily.

"SO ARE YOU!" Pintel replied, equally excited.

Their excitement was put on hold, though, as Alice remembered the natives. "We have to go! NOW!" A rope ladder unfurled nearby, and she was about to scramble up it when she remembered Paul. She looked over to see him standing on the shore staring at the massive vessel. "COME ON!" she screamed, and he snapped out of his daze, running into the water after her. It was only then that she realized that he was dressed in business attire, which was now covered in dirt and mud. "Up!" she said as he reached her, and he did not hesitate to climb up. "I'll explain later!" she said to Pintel before following him up.

Ragetti immediately grabbed her into a tight hug. "You're alive!" he gasped.

" _You're_  alive!" Alice repeated, her heart fit to burst with happiness. "We have to get out of here!" she said, releasing him. He turned to run but tripped, his wooden eye popping out. Just then, Jack the monkey snatched it up.

"Haul loose the mooring line!" she heard Pintel yell as Ragetti scrambled after the monkey.

"He's got me eye! An' he won't give it back!" Ragetti yelled down to Pintel.

"Well, how'd you get it back last time?" she heard him reply, and saw that Paul was already working on the mooring line; she paused in disbelief for a brief moment, before remembering that he grew up sailing.

She quickly shook from her thoughts and ran to the railing. Whatever she was going to shout down to Pintel died on her lips, for she saw that they were now joined by a handful of the crew members. Her relief at seeing so many was quickly dampened by numerous factors, and she spun around, grabbing Ragetti by the arm.

"Take him belowdecks!" she yelled, dragging him over to Paul. "Quickly! Get him dressed proper; I'll explain later!" she urged him, her eyes filled with fear. Ragetti glanced around for a moment. "I will get your damn eye back, just HURRY!" she barked, and he grabbed Paul, dragging him down the stairs.

Alice got to work helping with the ship. Crew began climbing up the sides, joining in to help, and she slipped away first chance she got, running belowdecks. She found Paul looking around in confused interest as Ragetti was darting back and forth, trying to find clothes.

"Duncan and Kursar's," Alice barked while pointing, causing both men to jump.

Ragetti stared at her for a moment before rushing toward Kursar's now unaffiliated bunk and rifling through his clothing. She spared Paul a glance before running toward the belongings that were once Duncan's. Pintel ran down the stairs within minutes, as Alice and Ragetti had gathered armfuls of clothing.

"To the stores," she called out, running for the door. She burst through, dropping the pile on the nearest barrel, and Ragetti was right behind her followed by Pintel, who was leading Paul by the arm.

He pushed Paul into the room and quickly closed the door as Alice set to rifling through the clothes, throwing them at Pintel.

"What—"

"Just hold them!" she snapped, cutting off Pintel's questioning. "Get undressed," she said to Paul, barely looking at him. When she realized he wasn't moving, however, she glared at him. "NOW, IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!" That did the trick, and he started undressing clumsily. "You two, get back up on deck; they'll need all the help they can get."

She took the clothes from Pintel, and he and Ragetti took off at once, without question. Alice tried to ignore the fact that she was now standing alone with the reason she had come back in time… And the fact that he was very nearly naked now. She handed him a pair of breeches, not looking at him as she rifled through the clothes.

"Dress fast. We haven't got time to waste," she said simply, trying to hide her shaking hands as she handed him a belt, shirt and boots, and began picking up his discarded clothing.

"Alice—"

"Don't," she cut him off immediately, the sound of his voice a dagger in her heart. "I'll explain everything later. Are you ready?"

"Almost," he replied, slipping into the boots.

"You can fix the belt while we're moving," she said and bundled his clothes together. "C'mon." She opened the door and rushed out, not waiting to see if he followed. She paused beside her old bunk to throw his clothes below it, causing him to nearly run into her, and then she continued on up the stairs to the main deck.

They joined Pintel and Ragetti, who now had his eye once more, and the shorter man gestured toward the sterncastle. Alice jumped slightly as she saw none other than Will Turner, with his sword drawn on – her heart leapt – Jack. The captain shifted Will's sword from his face and turned to Gibbs, who was manning the helm. She left the two pirates and her former flame, and ran up the stairs at once.

"By 'need', d'ye mean… a trifling need… fleeting, as in, say, a passing fancy?" she caught Gibbs saying, and the troubled look on his face did not put her at ease.

"No. A resolute and unyielding need," Jack replied, eyes on the horizon, and Gibbs groaned quietly.

"What we need to do is to make sail for Port Royal with all haste!" Will said, following Jack as he walked around to the front of the helm. Alice and Gibbs exchanged a look, but she dared not speak just yet.

"William," Jack sighed, "I shall trade to you the compass, if you will help me… to find this." Alice couldn't see what Jack was showing Will until he took a step to one side; it was the drawing of the key.

"You want me to find  _this_?" Will asked in annoyance, and Alice furrowed her brow, wondering at its significance.

"No," Jack turned to look at Will. " _You_  want you to find this. Because the finding of  _this_  finds you incapacitorially finding, and or locating, in your discovering, the detecting of a way to save your dolly belle, ol' what's-her-face. Savvy?" Alice rolled her eyes, and Will snatched the cloth from Jack.

"This… is going to save Elizabeth," Will replied with disbelieving sarcasm. Jack shifted slightly closer to Will.

"How much do you know about Davy Jones?" he asked quietly, and Alice felt a sense of dread. She had heard stories of Jones, both in her own time and this one, and rarely were they positive.

"Not much," Will responded after a momentary pause.

"Yeah," Jack said, turning away. "It's gonna save Elizabeth," he finished, gesturing toward the cloth, which Will merely stared at. Alice stood watching them for a moment before speaking up.

"Well, I do hate to interrupt," she started, amused as they both jumped and turned around.

"Alice!" Will said in surprise, and she smiled at him.

"Hello, again, Will. It's… interesting to see you back here again."

"It wasn't my first choice," he quipped with only half amusement. Alice smirked at him and then turned to Jack, her face serious.

"I need to talk to you."

"I'm in no mood for any further conversations at the present time," he said with an annoyed smirk.

"It's important."

"It can wait." Alice glared at him, and he held her gaze a moment before turning away. Alice huffed and walked the other way.

"What's going on, then?" Pintel asked with interest as she returned to their side. She turned and looked up at Jack, who was staring out at the horizon still.

"Come," she said, jerking her head towards the Captain's cabin, and the other three followed her inside.


	9. Answers and Questions

Alice stopped for a moment after the door closed and sighed. A million thoughts ran through her mind, all of them warring for dominance, but she momentarily tried to simply focus on the fact that the ship was moving. She turned her head slowly, seeing Pintel and Ragetti… and Paul. She snapped her gaze forward once more and marched toward the table, settling down in Barbossa's favoured seat. The two pirates eyed her for a moment before walking over and around the table, sitting to her left. She forced herself to look at Paul, and then gestured to the seat at her right; it was the same seat she had sat in the first night she and Elizabeth dined with Barbossa at this table. He slowly made his way over, and Alice looked around for a moment.

"Ragetti," she said, gesturing to the bottles behind him when he looked at her. He hopped up to grab four of them while Pintel still watched Paul, who was now lowering himself into the chair. "Thank you," she said as he set the bottles of rum on the table. She took one and handed it to Paul before grabbing one for herself. She pulled out the cork, and took a long pull of the harsh liquid, sighing loudly after she swallowed.

Paul looked at the bottle for a moment before opening it. They watched as he sniffed it lightly and grimaced, then took a long swig. This was quickly followed by him gagging on it, swallowing, and letting out a barrage of spluttering coughs. The pair of pirates laughed, and Alice couldn't help but chuckle.

"You get used to it," Alice smirked. She watched him for a long moment and he took another, smaller drink. It was hard for her to look at him, especially when he seemed to stare straight into her soul with his bright blue-green eyes. She wanted to hit him, to hurt him, to touch him, to hold him, to scream, to cry, to vomit. It was everything all at once, and she took another drink to try to drown all of these feelings, as well as to decide where to start. She sighed again and sat up a bit straighter.

"What—" she started but then stopped. "How…" she paused for a second and grabbed her satchel, pulling out the two devices and setting them on the table.

The two pirates stared at them with wide eyes. She opened hers and saw that the light was still dark; opening the other one showed that it, too, had a burn on its light. She closed them both and looked at Paul again.

"How did you get this?" she asked him, holding up the cleaner of the two boxes.

"It, um, it was in Mark's office," he said nervously, his eyes darting to the others and back to her. He quickly carried on, "It's been there ever since you left, just sitting on his desk. I asked him about it the first time I saw it, but he just said it was some kind of curio and closed the lid before we went on discussing work stuff." His vision seemed to glaze over a bit. "I was fascinated by it, but I didn't ask him about it again, since he always made an odd face whenever he caught me looking at it. Then today I was in his office waiting for him when the dials all started to spin like crazy, and then they stopped and sort of… locked into place. And the light on it started to, well, blink. But it was blinking erratically and seemed almost fuzzy. I reached over and touched it – the light, I mean – and it felt solid so I just kind of absently pressed down on it. I didn't expect it to push in… like a button… but it did, and then everything started spinning, and I seemed to have fallen… landing on hot, wet ground in the middle of a jungle," he finished with a look of confusion. He blinked rapidly, seeming to come back into focus as he stared into Alice's wide eyes. "I sat up and looked around and, when I looked down at this thing on the ground, I saw something sticking out of the dirt. It was that," he said with a gesture to her device. Alice just stared at him, frozen. He opened his mouth to speak, the words seeming to be lost in the air in front of him for a moment, before he asked, " _what_  is it?"

Alice blinked her eyes, her mind racing over everything he said. "You said it was there since I  _left_ ," she said. "H-how long have I been gone?" Paul puffed out his cheeks for a second as he exhaled.

"About a year?" he said with a questioning edge.

"A year," she whispered, wondering about how time was passing at the same speed then and now. "And… Did anyone say where I went?" she asked. Paul stared at her for a moment, his brows knitting together.

"Mark said you took an indefinite leave of absence to take care of some personal stuff." Alice mulled this over for a second, taking another drink and swallowing hard. "I, uh… I asked him a few times how you were doing, and when you might be back. But he always just told me he wasn't sure," he finished softly, and Alice looked up at him.

She fought against the hopeful feeling that had gripped her stomach, not wanting to believe that he had missed her. Her silence was interrupted by Pintel.

"So, he's from—" he started in a wondrous tone, but she held up a hand to stop him from saying more. Paul looked from Pintel back to Alice.

"What?" he asked, and she could see his growing annoyance.

She stared at him, her mouth forming soundless words before she took a deep breath. "Take a drink," she said softly, and he readily complied. She sat back in the chair and watched him, deciding that it was best to tell him as much as she could. She took a large draw from her bottle and cleared her throat. "Okay, this is going to sound insane. I mean truly insane. But I need you to bear with me, and listen to what I say, alright?" He stared at her a moment and then nodded. She took a deep breath and picked up her device, holding it in front of him. "This... is a sort of time-travel device. Yes, I know," she said quickly as he made an odd face at her, "it sounds crazy, but it's true. Mark and David created it; created  _them_ ," she added, glancing at his device. "Mark started designing them forever ago, and I was always fascinated by the idea. When they finished creating these, they used them a couple of times – just short test runs. I always wondered, given the chance, where I would go, and when I would go, but I never volunteered to test it; it just seemed too dangerous. When…" Alice stopped and sighed, taking another drink. "When things didn't... work out... I thought about using them, and I even wrote down all of the details: What year, day, time, longitude, latitude… Everything. Mark let me borrow this, to put my mind at ease, I think, by offering me at least the tangible fantasy of an escape. One day I just…" She swallowed hard and looked away from his eyes, focusing on the pair of boxes.

"One day I... I realized I couldn't take it anymore," she said, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and continued. "I had already put all of the information in here, had made countless notes on what I would do if it worked, and so on. I had even acquired period specific clothes. When I got home from work that day I grabbed everything from my list, changed into those clothes, took a deep breath and pushed that button." She stopped and bit her lip as he eyed her in confusion, trying to make sense of what she had just told him. She took another drink, and he absently did the same. He kept opening and closing his mouth, as though he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. He cleared his throat after a long silence and finally spoke.

"You can't be serious," he said softly, his voice full of confusion. Alice lowered her chin and glared at him, gesturing around with the hand that wasn't holding the rum bottle. Pintel and Ragetti, who also looked a little bewildered, gave him nervous smiles and waved bemusedly at him. "There's no… But… What?" he finally said in exasperation. "But how did I end up  _here_?" Alice picked up the two devices and opened them up. She examined them for a moment and then looked at him.

"There are two of them. This one," she indicated hers, "is the primary one, in this situation. I inputted all of the information into it." She pointed out the dials explaining which one was time, which was date, longitude, latitude, and so on. "The second one is a sort of emergency device. When you use the main one, it can sometimes take a bit to sort of 'recharge'. You have to wait for the light to come back on before you can use it again; the amount of time that takes varies. When it is charged, the secondary one will light up, showing that the original one is working, and that the link between the two is 'open'. If the light is off on the secondary, then that means the first one isn't working at that time. As you can see on mine, the light has a burn on it. I watched it for months, but the light never came back on. I figured it was broken, honestly, and, after about a year of nothing, I resolved to being stuck here permanently. Looking at it brought me a lot of sorrow, so I finally chose to part with it, burying it on that island before we were captured," she finished quietly.

"Captured?" he asked in surprise, but Alice shook her head.

"One thing at a time," she said. "I guess it must have finally recharged, at least enough for the other one to link with it. When you pushed that button, it brought you to where mine was." Paul stared at the devices for a long while. Alice glanced over at the other two, who were looking at the devices and at her. She gave them a small smile, but they both had looks of shock on their faces. Paul finally looked up at her. "Before you ask, that's all I know about them."

"So, wait…  _This_  is when we are?" he asked, pointing to the date, and Alice nodded. "And there are only two of these?"

"That I know of," she answered.

"So, we're both stuck here now?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not so sure," she answered in annoyance, swallowing her snappish retort of ' _Thanks to you_ '. She furrowed her brow looking at his device, and at the burn on the light. "If mine started working again, then maybe we aren't. But, I mean… We won't know until and unless one or both of them recharges." Paul looked at the devices again and then sat back in the chair, exhaling loudly. Alice watched him for a moment, his eyes moving slowly as he was lost in his thoughts. "It's quite a lot to take in, I know," she said softly, her bitterness ebbing a bit, though she still held a snarky edge. He looked up at her, his eyes full of confusion, and she was struck by how vulnerable he appeared then. "Do you need a little bit of time alone?" He chewed his lower lip as he gazed at the two boxes and then slowly nodded. "Come on," she said to him as she stood, and he looked up at her. "Let's go get you a bunk. I can't leave you in here; not without having spoken to the captain."

Paul stirred numbly and, as Pintel and Ragetti stood, so did he. Alice grabbed the two boxes and stuffed them into her satchel before grabbing the rum. She led them out of the cabin, happy to see that the crew was busy, and they made their way belowdecks. Alice walked to her old hammock and gestured to the one above it. "How's this?" she asked. Paul just sort of shrugged and awkwardly climbed into it, curling into a ball with the bottle of rum clutched tightly to his chest. She hung the satchel on the nail by her own hammock, and then looked around at the empty cabin; she supposed she would be sleeping in here again, now that they had so few crewmen. "Stay here until I get back. If anyone comes in, just pretend to be asleep," she said with a weak smile. He nodded sadly, and she gave his shoulder a slight squeeze before she and the others went back up.


	10. Holding Strong

Her head was full of noise, and her heart ached with so many different emotions. She made her way up to the forecastle alone and gazed out at the sea, finally having a chance to assess everything that had happened that afternoon. Of all the things she could imagine, she never thought she would see Paul again. Her knees weakened and buckled, and she crumpled to the deck, sitting curled up in a ball. It seemed insane to her that she had forgotten exactly how much she had missed him; how much she loved him. Hot tears ran down her face as she also thought about how much he had hurt her, and how much she had hated him for what he did.

She wanted so badly to hold him and to comfort him, but she refused to do that. She was already angry with herself for having alluded to why she had left their time, because now he knew how much control he had once had over her emotions; still did, if truth be told. She wanted him to know how much he had meant to her, but she also wanted to show that she could get by without him. She longed to be by his side even now, and she hated herself for it. He had left  _her_. He made her feel as though she wasn't good enough for him. He had chosen someone else, when she was right there, ready to give her all to him.

She thought she had become stronger in her time here, and she hated how weak she felt in that moment. Why couldn't she control her emotions? Hell, what about Barbossa?! Her heart panged at the thought of him. She had loved him, too, well and truly. Was she so broken that she needed someone else to make her feel complete? She growled through her tears, angry at him, angry at herself, angry at the world, and the universe. She hated that she loved so deeply, feeling in that moment that it was a curse.

She sat there for some time, her mind going in circles as it regurgitated thoughts and feelings over and over again. She stared at the bottle of rum in her hands. She had been avoiding drinking it since she came up here, trying to keep her head clear so that she could make some sense of things. Now that she found that was failing, she decided that maybe the best course of action was to drown out the noise. She put the bottle to her lips and took several long gulps, hissing as she swallowed the burning booze.

If he didn't want her then, why would he want her now? She found herself thinking this thought most of all. She didn't want him to want her back because she was the only part of his life here now. She would not fall right back into his arms, no matter what he said. If he did care about her, then, well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. She looked down at Barbossa's ring on her finger. No, she wasn't going to be the bleeding heart she was before; she  _wasn't_  that person, not anymore, she told herself again. She was going to be strong and independent, and she was going to continue on as she had expected to when she was sure she would never see him again. This changed nothing, she told herself.

She took another gulp of rum and hoped that maybe she could eventually believe that.

"Shilling for your thoughts?" Alice jumped and looked up, seeing Will Turner standing before her with a worried half smile. She shook her head.

"What a world," she said quietly. He gave a small shrug that conveyed his agreement. Alice furrowed her brow. "The hell are you doing here?" Will exhaled loudly, his eyes widening for a moment. She patted the deck beside her. "C'mon… Tell me what's going on." He sat gingerly, refusing her offer of the bottle of rum.

"We're being hunted," he said.

"Yeah, but we don't know by what," Alice said. She saw Will's look of worried confusion. "What?"

"You too, then?" Now it was Alice's turn to look confused. "The East India Trading Company is after myself, Elizabeth and Jack. And Norrington." Her eyes widened, and he stared at her for a half second before looking away. "They came on our- on our wedding day," he continued, his voice breaking. "They arrested me and took me to Fort Charles - where we were to be wed - in irons. Both Elizabeth and Governor Swann demanded to know more, and the man who arrested me turned out to be someone named Lord Cutler Beckett. Governor Swann knew him, but I have never heard of him. He had four warrants for arrest on charges of piracy, one of which was for Elizabeth. She's been locked up, Alice," he said, looking at her once more. Alice swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry.

"How did you—"

"Escape?" he finished, cutting her off. Alice nodded quickly. "I was taken to see Lord Beckett. He asked if I knew where Jack was and, when I asked him why he wanted Jack, he said something about them having left their marks on each other. I gathered he was the one who ordered Jack to be branded as a pirate, but he wouldn't say what mark Jack had left on him." He sighed and Alice drank, her thoughts trying to consume her at this new information. "Anyway, he offered to let me go, give me a full pardon… If I brought him Jack's compass." Alice's head snapped up, eyes wide.

"What?" she asked in surprise.

"I know. He doesn't want Jack, just the compass." Will furrowed his brow. "I thought it didn't work?"

"It works for Jack, obviously."

"But how? And what's so special about it?" Alice snorted in amusement.

"Been wondering that myself."

"Well, he wants it, and I'm going to do whatever it takes it to get it to him… To free Elizabeth."

"If he wants it that bad, no good can come from it. Is there no other way to save her?" Will shook his head.

"It's not the same in Port Royal anymore. Guards everywhere, and they almost outnumber the citizens. The whole island is practically a fortress," he ended quietly, and Alice was shocked and saddened by this. "Well, that's my story," he said with a weak smile. "What about you? How have you been?" Alice cocked her head with a slight glare.

"How d'you think? Been on the run from the Royal Navy pretty much since Jack and I escaped. Thanks to you, by the way," she added with a small smile. "Sailed halfway across the world, through a hurricane even, and ended up on that island. How did you find us, anyway?" Will laughed.

"I asked everyone about Jack; where he might be, and so on. I got a million different answers, but one fisherman on Port de Paix mentioned an island where a ship with black sails was seen. Some of his fellows took me there, but they refused to approach it, so I swam for the shore. I made it a little ways in before being caught in a trap and taken to Jack."

"Same as us, then. Well, almost anyway." Alice said, standing up slowly. She looked across the deck below as Will came to stand beside her. "We were a pretty large crew when we landed there," she said quietly.

"So I heard." He looked across to the sterncastle at Mr. Gibbs, who was at the helm. "Where is it we're going, do you think?"

"He didn't say to you?" She asked, and Will shook his head. "No idea, then. But I don't like the look of worry on Gibbs' face." She gazed around, watching the sun move toward the horizon. "We're headed west -southwest, but that doesn't say much as to a destination. Jack wouldn't be fool enough to be heading back to Port Royal, would he?" Will shook his head.

"I highly doubt it. He's already escaped the gallows there twice, and I don't think he'd try his luck on a third time with the East India Trading Company there."

"Cuba, then?" Will shrugged, and Alice sighed. "I'll see what I can find out." She refrained from adding, ' _if anything at all'_.

* * *

She made her way back belowdecks, after a quick stop in the galley. Paul was still curled up in the hammock, and she touched his shoulder lightly. He glanced over at her, and it pained her to see his eyes were red and slightly swollen from tears.

"I brought some food," she said softly. "It will help; trust me." Slowly, he handed her the half empty bottle before climbing down, and then she returned it to him before taking a seat on the ground. She handed him a biscuit, an apple, and a measure of water in a small wooden cup. "Dip the biscuit into the water, or else they're like eating wood," she said with a tight smile. He eyed her for a moment before doing just that; however, he gagged on the first bite. "Doesn't make them taste better, just makes them easier to eat," she let out a small chuckle. She watched him slowly finish the hardtack as she sipped from her rum. He bit into the apple and closed his eyes in relief. "Feel any better?" she finally asked him. He nodded.

"A little bit. Just... a lot to take in." Alice sighed and nodded softly.

"It was hard for me, and I at least knew where I was headed." He took a sip of rum as he eyed her for a long moment.

"Have you really been here for a year?" She huffed out a soft laugh and nodded. "What has that been like?" Alice stared at him for several long seconds before speaking.

"It's been... interesting," she said, looking down at the ground and picking at the wood. She sighed and took a swig of rum. She gave him the short version of events, leaving out the night with Norrington and some of the interactions between herself and Barbossa. She wasn't sure why she wasn't telling him those parts, but she didn't think too much on it. His face changed from shocked to surprised to disbelief to amazement as she told the tale. "...And then I ran into you on the island," she finished.

"Holy shit," was all he managed to mutter, staring at her wide-eyed. She chuckled again softly.

"That's an accurate assessment."

"I can't believe you've done all that in only a year! The last year for me has been..." he trailed off and looked down at the bottle of rum. Alice had wanted to ask, but she didn't think she wanted to know the details. Now that he offered, though...

"How  _has_  your last year been?" He looked up at her and took a drink before answering.

"Far less interesting, I assure you," he said with a pained smile. "A few months after you left the company, things started getting kind of weird. Not there, I mean, but with... with Brenda." Alice fought not to let her reaction to this show.

"Oh?" she said simply. Paul sighed.

"Yeah... She... I had moved in with her about a month after you left," he said in a sort of rush, almost as though he'd rather not say it. "And, I don't know... She started going out a lot, but she wouldn't let me go with her anymore, saying someone needed to stay home to watch her kids. I offered to get a sitter, and sometimes she agreed, but it became more and more reluctant." He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "About three months or so ago, she... Well, she kicked me out." Alice furrowed her brow, eyeing him quizzically, and he took a large swig of the rum. "She tried telling me a number of things: That I was lazy, that I needed a better job... Lots of bullshit. Turns out she was seeing someone else, and she was just keeping me around as a glorified babysitter." Alice exhaled deeply.

"Fuck... I'm really sorry to hear that." This was partially true. It hurt her that he was hurt, but the fact that it was the cow he left her for filled her with a dark satisfaction.  _"Feels good, doesn't it?"_ , she wanted to bite at him sarcastically, but she held back.

"No," he sighed, "you're not. But it's okay." He gave her a small pained smile and drank more. "I guess I deserved it, you know?" He chuckled darkly, and Alice couldn't help but tilt her head and give a tiny nod in agreement. He took another swig. "Fuck it; it's in the past. Well, moreso now than it was before," he snorted, shaking his head.

"I really am sorry. I at least hoped that you were happy," she said honestly. He glanced at her.

"Thank you," he said with a grim smile before looking away. "At least there's booze here." She smiled as he took another drink.

"That there is." She rose to her feet. "Come on. You  _do_  need to meet the captain."


	11. Under the Moonlight

Alice knocked nervously on the door to the captain's cabin, once again feeling odd about not simply walking inside.

"Enter," came Jack's partially grumbled response, and she opened the door. He looked at her warily as she entered.

"I need you to meet someone," she said.

"Turner? You saw me talking to him earlier; I know he's here," he responded with a bit of a bite that annoyed Alice.

"Obviously not him," she snapped slightly, and Jack gave her a look before his gaze flicked to the door. She turned to Paul. "Come on in," she said before walking in completely, closing the door after he followed her. Jack gave him a puzzled look. She turned to Paul, who was clutching the almost empty bottle of rum in his hands. "This is Captain Jack Sparrow. Jack," she turned to him, her eyes nervous. "This is Paul. He's from my time," she said. Jack looked at her, his brows furrowed. "I ran into him in the jungle."

Jack slowly walked over to Paul, looking him over in contemplation. He poked Paul a couple of times, much to Paul's annoyance, before shifting his gaze to Alice. "How?"

"Remember when I told you how the object that brought me here had a duplicate one?" Jack's eyes flicked between them. "Well, he found it."

"In the jungle?"

"I buried mine there when we were searching for you. I figured there wasn't much sense in holding onto it anymore, seeing as I thought it was permanently destroyed. Guess that's when it reactivated." Jack gave her a puzzled look. "When he used the second one, it brought him to where the first one was. Looks like it happened shortly before we escaped."

"Good timing," Jack said, a touch of amusement in his voice.

"Quite," she replied. "Well, obviously I couldn't leave him there-"

"Why not?" Alice gave him a hard look.

"In case you haven't noticed, we're a bit short on crew," she retorted. "At any rate, he can sail; knows his way around a ship, more than I do."

"You're suggesting, then, that we keep him?" Alice gave him a slightly irate look. "Just making bloody sure. You, then," he fully turned his attention to Paul. "You've," he eyed him again, "got the clothes. Blimey, have they not changed that in your time?" he asked Alice.

"Kursar's... And Duncan's," she replied meaningfully.

"Ah," he replied. "Shame, I kind of liked Kursar. Sort of," he added before taking a deep breath. "And she told you what life is like around here?" he asked Paul.

"A bit," he said.

"And you're okay with that?"

"Don't have much of a choice, now, do I?" His response was somewhat sullen. Jack squinted one eye at him.

"Oh, you're not going to be one of those bloody gloomy types, are you?" Alice chuckled at this, and they both looked at her.

"Sorry," she smirked. "Jack..." she pleaded softly. He eyed her for a moment before snapping back to Paul.

"How good are you at following orders? Are you quite comfortable with facing danger, even if it means your own death?" Alice noticed that Jack choked a little bit on the last word, and eyed him oddly for a moment as he swallowed hard.

"Again, what choice- Oof!" He winced as Alice elbowed him, and he saw her giving him a hard glare. He cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes, Captain." Jack squinted at him for a moment.

"Welcome to the crew then," he said in a dark but wry voice, before turning away and going back to the table. Alice gave Paul a small smile, then turned to Jack.

"Thank you, Jack." He waved her off dismissively. "Jack..." He sighed and looked up at her. "Where are we going?"

"Nowhere, if I can't get back to my charts." Alice growled in annoyance.

"Fine," she bit out, and headed for the door. "Come on," she said to Paul, and she closed the door harder than usual when they had exited. "He's not usually like this," she told Paul as he followed her to the forecastle. "That's what's got us so anxious."

"Oi, any word?" Pintel asked as they reached the stairs.

"No," she sighed. "Though he seems to be in a right state."

Pintel shared a dark look with Ragetti. "This has got to be somethin' bad, fer him to be all in a mood."

"I still sez it looks like we be 'eadin' to Cuba," Ragetti answered.

"What d'you know?" Pintel snapped.

"That was my guess as well," Alice said, and Pintel looked at her sharply. "Only reasonable, considering we haven't really altered course to avoid it." Ragetti beamed at her momentarily before another look from Pintel. "Come on, you two. Don't need you getting snappier, either."

"Sorry," they both said, and Alice smiled.

"So, you met the Captain, then?" Pintel asked Paul.

"Yep. Guess I'm a member of the crew now," he answered, still a bit of the sullen edge.

"If you don't like it, we can always chuck you overboard," Alice said with a grin. Paul sighed and gave a weak smile in return. "Cheer up, bub. You'll find no solace in misery aboard this, or any other, ship." She gestured to her two comrades. "This is Pintel, and this is Ragetti," she introduced. "They've been two of my best friends since I came aboard this vessel. This is Paul. He's one of us now," she finished with a small smile. "He'll need a bit of training, so I'd like you two to help him with that when he needs it." She turned to Paul. "Ragetti is one hell of a swordsman," she smiled. "He helped train me."

"Still do," Ragetti grinned.

"Aye," she nodded. "We'll have to find him a sword, then we can teach him. Preferably before whatever the hell Jack is getting us into."

* * *

Alice and Paul stood on the forecastle that night, eyes fixed on the stars.

"The last time I saw even close to this many stars was when I was a kid, growing up on the cape," he said. "And I don't think they ever looked this clear."

"I never saw so many in my life," Alice said. "I never get over seeing this, no matter how long I've been here." She looked down at the black water around them, the night sky perfectly reflected upon its surface. "It's like we're sailing through the sky itself."

Paul took a deep breath and closed his eyes, exhaling with a murmur of appreciation. "And the air… It's so crisp and clean. I feel like I've never truly experienced the proper smell of the ocean before now."

Alice smiled. "Wait until you see some of the beaches. It's so weird being on them without clambering throngs of people, or giant buildings obscuring the view."

"I had not even considered that!" He smiled excitedly. It was the first genuine smile Alice had seen from him all day.

"And no rules. Booze, bonfires, 24-hour access… I could never go back to those crowded So Cal beaches after this!" She laughed, but her happiness halted immediately as Paul's smile vanished at those words. He stared down at the water. "I'm… Sorry. I didn't think about that before saying it."

Paul shook his head sadly. "It's okay; I know you didn't mean it like that." He sighed. "The thought of never being back there… It's just… I can't really wrap my head around it."

"Well, it's not as though we're without hope," she said. "I had given up on the device, after all, and it  _did_  start working again. Maybe the other one will, too." He half nodded, half shrugged. Alice gazed out across the sea before looking back at him. He was still staring at the water. "Hey," she nudged him. "Remember all those times when you just wanted to quit your job and run away to Hawaii?" He let out a tiny snort. "It's kind of like that, in a way. Look at it as an extended vacation in paradise."

"Paradise had kalua pig, mai tais, room service, and beds," he replied, but she could hear the amusement in his voice.

"You have to find the small things, in order to get used to being here," she said. He looked at her. "There were so many times I missed it. But, the longer I've been here, the more I've found I just missed the people. And small conveniences," she added quickly, before he read too much into that. She held the railing and leaned back, looking up. "But this would be so much harder to leave. Yes, we're often in danger, or on the verge of starvation, or being chased by the law… Or worse. But there is so much more to this life beyond what there was back home. All of this madness has given my life more meaning." She turned to look at him. "It's not the endless stream of mind-numbing, meaningless work - sitting at a screen entering numbers, filing papers, organizing forms day in and day out, struggling to make rent or pay utilities. Here there is an actual payoff to working hard, occasionally in large, glittering sums. Every decision you make affects the lives of those in your crew, and their decisions can have major consequences for you. You learn to have to trust those around you, seeing the best in new recruits while being prepared for the worst. It's an odd balance of self-reliance and dependence, with actual useful skills."

He looked at her for a moment before his gaze drifted off in thoughtful contemplation. "Huh," he said after some time, seeming to come to a realization.

"We'd better get some sleep," Alice said. She turned around and gazed across the ship, seeing Cotton at the helm. "I've still no clue where we're going, but we may find ourselves there sooner than we expected."


	12. Dirt and Magic

Alice awoke slowly. Her entire body ached, and she had developed a crick in her back from sleeping in the hammock. True, it was better than the cage, which she still wasn't sure how long she'd been locked in, but it wasn't as nice as the bed. She gazed toward the hammock above hers, noticing the lack of weight in it, and suddenly remembered Paul. Her legs swung over the side, and she sat up quickly, her head spinning at once.

"Ugh…" she groaned, shaking her head lightly in an attempt to focus. After a moment, her head started to clear, and she stood up slowly, making her way to the stairs.

The bright sunlight made her wince, but she climbed into it, emerging abovedeck.

"'Bout time you woke up," snickered Ragetti. She turned her head in the direction of his voice, and saw him, Pintel, and Paul seated on crates.

"How long was I out?" she asked, looking around as she approached them. The sun was high above the horizon, but it was not yet noon.

"A good amount of time," Ragetti said. "We been up for hours, now."

"Any clue as to our heading?" she asked with a yawn.

"Cuba, it seems," Pintel said. He seemed mad at Ragetti being correct about this. Ragetti, meanwhile, was beaming with pride.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked Paul.

"I managed to stay unconscious," he said. She saw that he was gingerly sipping a cup of water.

"The first hangover is the worst," she said with a small smile. "They stop quick, though."

"I sure hope so," he said.

"We just been tellin' 'im about the first time we wents to Isla de Muerta," Ragetti said.

"And the curse," Pintel added. Paul gave her a surprised look.

"I told you there was a curse," she told him with a smirk.

"I do miss being immortal," Pintel said. "Well, only a bit!" he said at Ragetti's look of disbelief. Ragetti shrugged.

"Nice to eat again, though." He grinned, and then he and Pintel began chuckling.

"Mornin', Alice," came Gibbs' voice. He seemed falsely cheery.

"Going to tell me where we're headed?" She asked with a sweet smile. Gibbs gave her an odd look.

"Ye'll find out soon enough," he replied, forcing the smile to stay in place. "We'll be dropping anchor soon. You lot, ready two longboats."

"Aye aye, sir," the pair of pirates intoned in unison. Alice sighed as he made his way to the helm.

She and Paul went along with them to the longboats, getting them outfitted for the journey. She could see an island in the distance, and nudged Ragetti, gesturing toward it with an inclination of her head.

"Cuba," he grinned, throwing a rope over his shoulder.

She wondered how they would all fit in the two longboats, but then she remembered how few of them there were. They soon laid anchor offshore, along the mouth of a delta that seemed to vanish into the dense jungle of the island.

"Everyone aboard the longboats," Jack called out, striding toward the side of the ship. Everyone paused.

"Who's staying with the Pearl?" Gibbs asked.

"No one. Everyone off," he said, and he climbed up and into one boat. No one moved.

"Jack, we've got to have someone aboard her," Gibbs said.

"No one stays behind," he replied, his voice hard. "In."

Gibbs looked around quickly, and then made a pained face.

"Yeh heard the Captain. Everyone off."

Gibbs assisted the few crewmen as they climbed into the boats. Alice paused for a second, looking him in the eye. He gave her a worried look, but inclined his head toward a boat. She climbed in, followed by Paul, and then by Gibbs. They lowered the boats into the water, and began to row toward the river.

She was squeezed in with Pintel, Ragetti, Paul, Gibbs, Will, and Marty; the captain, meanwhile, rode more comfortably with just Cotton (and his parrot), and Lejon, a quiet man who always seemed to stick to the shadows. Alice assumed he chose those two to join him since they were the least likely – or able - to talk. She had noticed Lejon carrying what appeared to be a covered cage when he boarded, and she wondered what was inside.

As they moved through the lush green jungle, they all gazed around, keeping an eye out for any would-be attackers. The thick canopy formed by the trees continued to increase in density, rapidly devouring the sunlight, which seemed to amplify their silence. Will finally broke the quiet that had consumed them.

"Why is Jack afraid of the open ocean?" he asked. They all looked at him, then immediately to Gibbs.

"Well, I'll tell 'ee," he began, clearly eager to tell a story. "If you believe such things, there's a beast does the bidding of Davy Jones. A fearsome creature from the depths, with giant tentacles that'll suction your face clean off, and drag an entire ship down to the crushing darkness." He paused once, for dramatic effect. "The Kraken." He paused again, looking around at the looks on their faces. "They say the stench of its breath is like…" he closed his eyes and shuddered. "Imagine, the last thing you know on God's green earth is the roar of the Kraken, and the reeking odor of a thousand rotting corpses… If ye believe such things." They looked at each other warily.

"Never thought Jack the type to be afraid of dying," Will said.

"Aye, but with Jones it ain't about the dying," Gibbs replied. "It's about the punishment. Think of the worst fate you can conjure for yourself, stretching on forever… And that's what awaits you in Davy Jones' Locker."

Alice felt a shudder go through her, and she sensed the others had a similar reaction.

"And the key will spare him that?" Will asked.

"Well, that's the very question Jack wants answered," Gibbs said. "Bad enough, even, to go visit…" He lowered his voice. "Her."

"Her?" Will asked. Gibbs swallowed and looked away.

"Aye."

Alice wanted to press him, but he didn't seem to be wanting to talk any further. That was enough to worry her. She looked at Pintel and Ragetti, who shrugged. They all resumed watching the dense surroundings for life.

The darkness thickened as they made their way into a swamp, surrounded by gnarled mangroves covered in thick moss. An odd light whizzed by her, followed by another, and she saw that they were fireflies. Looking around, she was amazed to see how many there were, and they seemed to be increasing in number. As she watched one floating in small, lazy circles, movement in the shadows caught her eye. She jumped slightly, causing the others to look in the same direction.

There was a person standing in the shadows. From what she could make out they were tall and wearing a hat, but they appeared to simply be leaning against the tree, watching the boats floats past. Then she noticed another shadow, a child this time, standing with a hand on the tree, also simply watching.

A disquieting sense settled around them as the people in the shadows increased in number, but they did not appear to be a threat. Despite the trickle of nervousness, Alice felt herself growing calmer; a warm, welcoming feeling was spreading through her that she could only describe as "home", though she wasn't sure if that was even the right word.

They floated around a bend, when Alice noticed light appearing. A few small, shack-like houses were nestled along the banks, glowing with candlelight. Ahead of them, though, was the largest of these. It sat higher than the others, built into the tops of a grouping of large trees, which had grown tangled together, and it glowed the brightest. This, it seems, was their destination.

They rowed up to a dock near the base of the trees, and Alice saw there was a thick, sturdy, carved wooden ladder that led up to the balcony and door. As soon as his boat bumped against the dock, Jack was up and out. He turned to look at them all.

"No worries, mates; I'll handle this. Tia Dalma and I go way back," he smiled. "Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable, we are…" his smile dropped. "Were. Have been. Before." He frowned.

"I'll watch your back," Gibbs said as he climbed beside Jack onto the dock.

"It's me front I'm worried about," Jack said before turning to climb the ladder. Gibbs smiled, and then turned to Will.

"Mind the boat," he said, before climbing after Jack. Will turned to Alice as she stepped on the dock.

"Mind the boat," he said, following Gibbs.

_Screw that!_  Alice turned to Pintel. "Mind the boat," she said. She looked at Paul and gestured with a nod toward the ladder before making her way up. She could hear the command still being passed as she climbed, until she heard Cotton's parrot squawk out the final repetition.

She reached the landing as Jack was opening the door to the shack warily.

"Jack Sparrow…" she heard a woman's voice purr.

"Tia Dalma," he said, striding inside followed by Gibbs.

"I always know de wind was goin' blow you back to me one day," the woman said.

Alice caught sight of her as Will entered. She was wild and beautiful, with long dreads and a tattered dress, adorned with crafted jewelry of significance, and her face marked meaningfully. Alice was drawn to her at once.

The woman turned from Jack, pointing at Will. "You," she said, moving over to him, her eyes big and unblinking. "You 'ave a touch of destiny about you, William Turner."

Alice watched in surprise, as did Jack and Gibbs.

"You know me?" Will asked in confusion.

"You want to know me," she said, smiling at him. As she leaned her face closer to him, Jack ran over and separated them.

"There'll be no knowing here," he said. "We've come for help, and we're not leaving without it." He gave Will a small glare, then turned Tia Dalma, steering her toward the large table in the middle of the room. "I thought I knew you," he said quietly.

"Not as well as I had hoped," she replied at normal volume. "Come," she addressed the crew.

"Come," Jack echoed, stopping by the table, and they slowly approached it.

"Asking for help does not sound like Jack Sparrow," the woman said as she reached past Jack to Will, pulling him close to her with a smile.

"It's not so much for me, as it is for William," he said. "So he can earn a favour from me."

"Now that sounds like Jack Sparrow," she said, seating Will snugly to her right. Alice stood to her left, with Paul beside her, and the others surrounded the table.

"What service may I do you?" she asked, smiling down at Will adoringly and caressing his face seductively with one finger. She snapped her head up to look at Jack. "You know I demand payment,' she barked at him.

"I brought payment," he said with a smile, and waved over Pintel, who was carrying the covered cage. Jack pulled off the cover, and Alice let out a small, involuntary gasp. He took the cage, which contained Jack the monkey, and held it up. "Look!" He took his pistol and fired at the creature. "An undead monkey," he said, his eyes crazy. "Top that."

He set the cage down on the table in front of Tia Dalma. Alice's heart ached; aside from the ring he had given her, Jack the monkey was one of the last remnants of Barbossa she had. And now Captain Jack was giving him away.

Tia Dalma looked at the creature, and then opened the cage, letting him out.

"No!" Gibbs said exasperated, as the monkey skittered off. "You've no idea how long it took us to catch that."

They watched the monkey as he went into an adjoining room. He perched on a pair of boots that were just visible lying on the bed; Alice wondered if there was a person in there sleeping – or worse.

"The payment is fair," Tia Dalma said, setting the cage aside.

"We're looking for this," Will said, unfolding and laying out the scrap of cloth with the drawing of the key on it. The woman looked down at it. "And what it goes to." She looked up at Jack, anger surfacing.

"The compass you barter from me, it cannot lead you to this?" she asked. Jack stared at her, holding a hat he had been examining. Alice felt a deep pang of sorrow upon seeing it, as the hat was identical to Barbossa's.

"Maybe," he said vaguely, looking around. "Why?"

She sat down beside Will, a large smile spreading across her face. "I hear you," she cooed. "Jack Sparrow does not know what he wants," she said with great amusement. Jack glared at her, but looked away quickly. "Or do you know, but are loathe to claim it as your own?" Jack didn't look at her this time. She smiled and leaned back. "Your key go to a chest. And it is what lay inside the chest you seek, don't it?"

"What is inside?" Gibbs asked, excitement growing.

"Gold?" Pintel asked. "Jewels? Unclaimed properties of a valuable nature?"

"Nothing… bad… I hope," Ragetti said, turning away from the jar of eyeballs he had being examining. His face was full of worry.

"You know of Davy Jones, yes?" Tia Dalma asked, sitting up in her chair and eyeing them. "A man of the sea. A great sailor, until he run afoul of that which vex all men."

"What vexes all men?" Will asked. The women stroked his hand lovingly.

"What indeed?" She smiled at him playfully.

"The sea," said Gibbs.

"Sums," said Pintel.

"The dichotomy of good and evil," said Ragetti, and most of the pirates looked at him oddly. Jack rolled his eyes and huffed.

"A woman," he said, his voice hard. They all looked at him.

"A woman," Tia Dalma purred. "He fell in love."

"No, no, no, no, I heard it was the sea he fell in love with," Gibbs said.

"Same story, different versions, and all are true," she replied, sitting back once more. "See, it was a woman as changing and harsh and untamable as the sea. Him never stopped loving her. But the pain it cause him was too much to live with, but not enough to cause him to die."

"What exactly did he put into the chest?" Will asked. Tia Dalma gazed lovingly at him.

"Him heart," she swooned.

"Literally or figuratively?" Ragetti asked.

"He couldn't literally put his heart in a chest," Pintel snapped at him. But then he looked at Tia Dalma and raised one eyebrow. "Could he?"

"It was not worth feeling what small, fleeting joy life brings. And so," her smile dropped, "him carve out him heart, lock it away in a chest and hide the chest from the world." The pirates recoiled in horror. "The key, he keep with him at all times."

"That was a roundabout way to get to the answer," Jack said as Will stood up and faced him.

"You knew this," he said to Jack.

"I did not," he said. "I didn't know where the key was. But now we do," he smiled. 'All that's left is climb aboard the Flying Dutchman, grab the key, you go back to Port Royal and save your bonnie lass, eh!" He snapped his finger and pointed at Will, then turned to walk away. Tia Dalma stood up at once.

"Let me see your hand," she said, reaching out for him.

Jack stopped and turned slowly, showing his right hand. She glared at him, and Jack rolled his eyes, placing his left hand palm up in hers. Alice saw that it was wrapped in bandage scraps. Everyone leaned closer as Tia Dalma unwrapped his hand. On his palm was a black circle of bubbled flesh that appeared to be festering.

"The black spot!" Gibbs gasped, before turning in a counterclockwise circle and spitting. Pintel and Ragetti copied him.

"My eyesight's as good as ever, just so you know," Jack said in mock cheeriness. The crew all looked at him in worry.

"I have just the thing," Tia Dalma said, walking off into the room where monkey Jack had run off. "Now, where did I put it?"

They all peered toward the room, trying to see in. Alice saw the furry undead creature still perching on the boots, chittering.

"My little beauty, where are you?" They heard the woman speaking softly as she dug around the room. "Such a long time in such a mess…" She emerged carrying a large jar. "Davy Jones cannot make port," she said. "Cannot step on land but once every ten years. Land is where you are safe, Jack Sparrow, and so you will carry land with you."

She held out the large jar to Jack. He gingerly reached over and took it in both hands, staring at it questionably before staring back at her.

"Dirt," he said. "This is a jar of dirt."

"Yes," she said.

"Is the jar of dirt going to help?" he asked with skepticism.

"If you don't want it, give it back," she challenged.

"No," Jack said, drawing the jar close.

"Then it helps," Tia Dalma smiled.

Jack held the jar possessively, moving it away from the other pirates. Will turned toward the woman.

"It seems we have a need to find the Flying Dutchman," he said. She smiled and sat down, scooping up a set of crab claws in both hands.

"A touch… Of destiny," she whispered into her hands as she shook the claws and then scattered them on the table. She looked up at them with a smile. Jack stared at her for a moment.

"And?" he asked. She gestured toward the claws with her hands. "What?"

"It's a map," Will said. Tia Dalma smiled at him. "Is there something we could use –  _I_  could use – to copy this down?"

She stood slowly and grabbed a scrap of cloth and some charcoal, handing it to Will. He began sketching out the design as once. Tia Dalma stepped away from the table, and adjusted a jar that was hanging from the ceiling. Alice watched as Will mumbled to himself, trying to figure out the location.

"It's so familiar… I know I've seen it on a map before," he half whispered.

Alice jumped slightly as a hand rested on her back. She turned to see the woman smiling at her and Paul.

"So far away from home," Tia Dalma said softly. "It is hard, I know." She draped her arm around Alice and turned her, leading her away from the others to the side of the room.

"I'm not sure what home is anymore," Alice said, keeping her voice low.

"You still love 'im, don't you?" she said. When Alice turned to look back over at Paul, Tia Dalma let out a small chuckle. "No," she said, causing Alice to swiftly look back at her. "Just when you two had the chance to finally be together, he was so cruelly taken away from you." Alice's eyes widened.

"Hector," Alice whispered, and Tia Dalma nodded.

"Him loved you, Barbossa," she said. "I 'ave a way of knowing these things." The woman smiled at her. Alice returned it with a weak smile of her own. Tia Dalma dropped her arm from around Alice and stepped in front of her. "I would like your help with something," she said, her face becoming serious. Alice watched her closely. "You have traveled much farther than most. You moved backward to go forward… The tides of time are turning within you."

"How did you—"

"I tell you I know these things," she smiled again at Alice. "You carry in you the history of the world that has not yet come to pass. There is much magic in you – magic that has seen the rise and fall of many things, and remembers so much more than most understand." Alice studied Tia Dalma's face for a moment.

"You need that magic," she said, and the woman smiled broadly. "But what can it help?"

"More than you know," she said. "Just a touch – a drop – can change everything."

"My blood," she whispered, and Tia Dalma nodded. Alice inhaled through her nostrils, letting out a contemplative sigh.

"You do not trust me?" Alice smiled and let out a tiny chuckle.

"The opposite, actually," she said. "I trust you, and you make me feel calm and at peace, and almost like I am home… Yet I am also terrified of you in some way I can't quite explain… Like you could swallow me up… Like…" Alice's eyes dawned as she made the connection to her feeling. "You remind me of the sea… In an odd way," she smiled, and Tia Dalma practically beamed.

The woman pulled Alice into a tight hug, and Alice hugged her back. She felt much more comfortable in this moment than she had in a long time. When they released each other, Tia Dalma turned and reached up to a shelf on the wall, pulling down a small vial and a shell. Alice instinctively held out her left hand, which the other woman held softly. She smiled as she took the shell and, using its edge, sliced down the underside of Alice's ring finger.

"Ouch," Alice winced.

Tia Dalma ran her fingertip along the cut, hovering just millimeters above the skin, but the blood seemed to follow it, flowing down and into the vial. Once it was filled, she lifted Alice's hand upward, and ran her fingers over the cut once more, this time touching the skin. When she let go, Alice was surprised to see that the cut had sealed itself; the only trace was a thin scar that looked almost fully healed.

"Thank you," Tia Dalma said as she corked the vial. Alice simply nodded, still staring at her hand as the other woman went to store her prize safely away.

"Are we all done, then?" Alice looked over to see Jack watching her, his face slightly annoyed.

"Yes," she said nodding, and she looked around. Tia Dalma seemed to have vanished completely.

Jack turned, still clutching his jar of dirt, and walked out of the shack. The others slowly followed, and Alice took one last look around before exiting as well.


	13. Monsters Among Us

It had been two days since they had left Tia Dalma's, and they were almost to their destination. A mood of dark worry had settled over the crew before they had returned to the Pearl, and it only seemed to get thicker as the days went on.

The warmth that had filled Alice's entire being when they were at the shack dissipated quickly as they rowed away, only to be replaced by a deep sense of loss, and a strange weariness seemed to settle into her bones. Pintel and Ragetti asked her about the conversation she had with the woman, but she found that she did not want to talk about it, though she could not explain why. Paul asked her, too, though he did so indirectly, in the hopes to coax it from her. But she didn't take the bait, and he thankfully did not press her about it.

She couldn't even find herself curious as to where they were headed; she merely knew she wanted this particular "adventure" to be over. A bad feeling coursed through her body every time she thought about it. Were they really on their way to find Davy Jones? And what did Jack plan to do when they found him?

Alice lounged in the hammock, one leg hanging out near the ship's side. She was using her knee to rock herself back and forth while she sipped at a bottle of rum, contemplating the nature of her thoughts.

What was  _really_  bothering her? Each swig of rum brought new images to the surface of her mind. She felt like Barbossa was slipping further away. She still had the ring, which she absently spun on her finger. But Jack the monkey was gone. At least she felt he was safe with Tia Dalma. She sighed. That was another thing: The hat in Tia Dalma's place looked so much like his; Alice almost expected him to walk up and snatch it out of Jack's hand with a snarl. Then he'd place it firmly on his head and pull her into his arms, the long feather falling forward to tickle her face as he leaned down to kiss her. What would that have felt like - truly felt like - to feel his lips taking hers without abandon? To feel his passion overcoming him as he ravished her thoroughly?

She shook the thought away, as pangs of sadness hit her; it was best not to dwell on that right now. Her brain, however, seemed bent on taking her down a rabbit hole, and she remembered being held tight, kissed deeply, and caressed lovingly... by Paul. Alice growled in annoyance; she had been trying to ignore the fact that she still had feelings for him, and it had not been easy. Being around him, she remembered the flutters in her stomach, and the way her articulation seemed to try to make a run for it anytime she went to speak. It had been easier when he first reappeared in her life, as she had many more pressing issues weighing on her then. But, as she spent more time with him, the reasons she fell for him came back strong.

Alice blamed her grief, at first. She was still upset about Barbossa, but she was also feeling abandoned, lonely, and scared. She tried to drink it away, and she tried to reason it out, but there was no logic in love. And now, having to literally face the reason she had come here in the first place, she felt weak. She hated to admit it, but she couldn't deny it, either.

Alice exhaled deeply. She was not over Barbossa, not by a long shot, but she also wasn't over Paul. A year... Had she really been here that long? She still couldn't believe that. Just like she couldn't believe Barbossa was gone.

As her thoughts came full circle, she groaned and decided that was enough of this for now. Barbossa wasn't coming back, and she wasn't ready to confront her feelings about Paul; there was a lot to still work through there.

She grudgingly left the hammock, bottle still firmly in hand, and made her way up to the main deck. The pervasive gloom was still just as thick aboveboard, everyone going about their tasks methodically, lost in deep thought or worry. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Alice looked out at the storm they would doubtlessly be sailing into.

"Great," she groaned under her breath, and set to work preparing the sails with Paul and Ragetti.

As the storm enveloped them, the wind came steadily and seemingly from a single direction, making it easier to navigate. Looking at the jagged shoals surrounding them, Alice was grateful for this.

"Drop anchor," came Jack's determined yet hollow voice, cutting through the crew's musings.

As the ship's momentum halted, the waves pounded against her hull, rocking the Pearl and her drenched members. They stared out across the starboard side, looking at a wrecked ship in the distance that was visible only by the bright flashes of lightning.

"That's the Flying Dutchman?" Will scoffed. "She doesn't look like much."

"Neither do you," came Jack's easy retort. "Don't underestimate her."

There was a small silence, and Alice noticed Jack elbow Gibbs.

"Er- must have run afoul of the reef," Gibbs quickly said.

"So, what's your plan, then?" Jack quickly asked Will.

"I row over, and search the ship until I find your bloody key," he responded with fierce determination.

"And if there are crewmen?"

"I cut down anyone in my path," he answered before heading to the longboat Ragetti was preparing for him.

"I like it," Jack said to Gibbs. "Simple, easy to remember."

Alice tried to make out details of the wreckage, curious if any crew was actually alive on it, but could see nothing.

"Oi!" Jack yelled, and she looked over at him. He was speaking down to Will, who had clambered into the small boat. "If you do happen to get captured, just say ''Jack Sparrow sent you to settle his debt'. It might save your life."

As Will rowed away, Jack turned to the crew.

"Douse the lamps."

One by one the lamps went out. As the ship faded into darkness, the silent crew gathered closer together, the night becoming colder with the absence of light.

Alice stood on one side of Pintel and Ragetti, Paul standing on the other as they gazed out at the scene, the flashes of lightning doing little to help them make out any details. Even Will's longboat disappeared into the dark abyss.

The deep unsettling feeling was amplified as they remained nervously silent. Would Will simply find the key? Alice was doubtful, and the glances she caught of the others showed they echoed that sentiment. Something bad was going to happen, she was sure of it.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly as they unconsciously huddled closer together; Alice couldn't tell if the shivering she felt was Ragetti's, her own, or both of theirs combined. Jack stood stoically at the rails, peering out into the storm through his spyglass while the others seemed to give up any attempts at glimpsing what was happening on the distant wreck.

Suddenly, the wind and rain completely stopped and the clouds opened to reveal the moonlight, causing them to jump. But their startling was abruptly halted by the appearance of many bodies on their deck. They seemed to come from the very woodwork; Alice could not describe them as men, per se, but rather as...  _monsters_  was the first word that came to mind. Malformed creatures: Part man, part sea creature, part... ship, it appeared.

And, appearing directly before Jack, was the broadest of the lot: A large lobster claw where one of his hands should be was poking out from his billowing coat, and tentacles flowed beneath his tricorn hat as his wooden leg stamped loudly with each step. Alice knew that this was none other than Davy Jones.


	14. Complicated Feelings

The monstrous men grabbed each of them, dragging them to the center of the deck by their necks, backs, and arms; terrified, none of the crew tried to fight them.

"You have a debt to pay," came the silky growl of Davy Jones' voice. Alice was surprised, expecting it to sound far different. He advanced on Jack, backing him into the mast. "You've been captain of the Black Pearl for 13 years. That was our agreement."

"Technically I was only captain for two years, then I was viscously mutinied upon," Jack said with a nervous smile.

"Then you were a poor captain, but a captain nonetheless," Jones bit back. "Have you not introduced yourself all these years as ' _Captain_  Jack Sparrow'?" Jack grimaced.

"You have my payment," Jack said quickly. "One soul, to serve on your ship. He's already over there." Jones glared at him.

"One soul is not equal to another."

"Aha!" Jack grinned. "So we've established my proposal is sound in principle, now we're just haggling over price." Jones quirked what would be considered an eyebrow at Jack.

"Price?" He scoffed in disbelief.

"Just how many souls do you think my soul is worth?"

Alice's eyes went wide at this; was Jack suggesting trading  _them_  to this monster? Jones mulled it over for a moment.

"One hundred souls," he said. "Three days." Jack grinned.

"You're a diamond, mate. Send me back the boy, I'll get started right off." He tried to leave, but one of Jones' crewmen stepped in his way, blocking him.

"I keep the boy," Jones said sternly. "A good-faith payment. That leaves only ninety-nine more to go," he laughed, smirking at Jack.

"Have you not met Will Turner?" Jack asked, walking around Jones. "He's noble, heroic...  _terrific_  soprano. Worth at least four - maybe three and a half." He paused behind the other captain for a moment before leaning in. "And did I happen to mention: He's in love. With a  _girl_." Alice saw Jones' face soften. "Due to be married. Betrothed. Dividing him from her and her from him would only be half as cruel as actually allowing them be joined in holy matrimony. Eh?" Jones was momentarily lost in an unseeing gaze. But he snapped out of it, his face hardening once more.

"I keep the boy. Ninety-nine souls," Jones responded resolutely. "But I wonder, Sparrow," he started, his voice softening, "can you live with this? Can you condemn an innocent man - a friend - to a lifetime of servitude, in your name while you roam free?" Jack thought it over for a few seconds, then smiled.

"Yep, I'm good with it," he said cheerily. "Should we seal it in blood- er, ink?"

Jones grabbed Jack's hand with his slimy tentacles, causing the man to recoil. Jones laughed and pulled his tentacles back.

"Three days," he said, turning to leave.

His men laughed, releasing the crew of the Pearl, and following him, disappearing into seeming nothingness. Pintel shuddered out a whine of unease, as the crew all shook out of their fear-induced stupor. Alice felt her knees go weak, but managed to stay upright. She hadn't realized how shallow she had been breathing through the ordeal, and took in a deep, stuttering gasp.

"Mr. Gibbs," Jack called out in a grimace, staring at his slime-coated hand.

"Aye?" Gibbs was at his side in an instant.

"I feel sullied and unusual," Jack said uneasily. Gibbs, however, seemed to have his wits about him.

"And how do you intend to harvest these ninety-nine souls in three days?" He asked in bold annoyance.

"Fortunately, he was mum as the condition in which these souls need be," Jack replied, slowly returning to himself.

"Ah, Tortuga," Gibbs said knowingly.

"Tortuga," Jack concurred, wiping his slimy hand on Gibbs' vest.

Alice wasn't sure how she felt about Jack leaving Will with Davy Jones like that. Will had, after all, saved Jack's life, and it had been so easy for the erratic captain to abandon him. Would he do the same to the rest of them? She eyed him warily as he slowly walked past her to his cabin. He stopped suddenly, and turned toward her.

"It's nothing personal, love," he said, seeming to read her thoughts.

"It should be."

"Why?"

"He saved your life in Port Royal," Alice said acidly. "You'd be dead right now if it weren't for him."

"And that life he saved was that of a pirate," he replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, it's not as though he isn't gaining something from this exchange. It's not entirely as cold-hearted as you currently think me to be." Alice scoffed.

"And what is he gaining in return?" She sneered, her loud voice attracting the attention of several other crewmembers. Jack glanced around at them before taking a step closer to her.

"You really think I just threw him into servitude solely to save my own skin?" Jack's eyes narrowed.

"Yes." She noticed his nostrils flaring as he clenched and unclenched his jaw.

"You'll simply have to  _trust_  me," he glared, before turning and marching to his cabin, pointedly slamming the door behind him.

Alice stared at the door in disbelief.

"I used to, but now I'm not so sure," she said quietly before heading belowdecks.

* * *

She had heard many wild stories about Tortuga, but even the most far-fetched seemed to pale in comparison to the reality before her.

Even as they approached the harbor, loud music seemed to come from the very air itself, permeating the atmosphere as thickly as the variety of smells that seemed to coalesce into one distinct odor. Alice knew that, long as she lived, she would never forget the unique scent of this raucous town.

Alice, Paul and Marty followed Jack's sure footsteps, meandering through streets bursting with life, from laughing wenches cavorting with drunken sailors, to the increasingly common brawls spilling forth from neighboring buildings. Musicians seemed to be everywhere, with fiddles and accordions providing a score for the masses to sing along to, many of the words too slurred to be discernible, but joyous all the same. Despite the fact that this was a haven for thieves and cutthroats, the majority of people seemed quite friendly in their own way. Alice could definitely understand the appeal of the place, and found she wasn't exactly in a hurry to leave.

Finally they entered a tavern called " _The King's Arm_ ". It was surprisingly large, unlike the taverns in Port Royal, and very busy; Alice noticed that even the second floor balconies were packed with pirates.

"I prefer ' _The Bride_ '," she heard Gibbs grumble.

"We're here to recruit, and in large numbers," Jack responded with false cheeriness. "Otherwise we'd be there."

Jack and Gibbs went about setting up a small table to sign up new recruits, while Alice and the others grabbed drinks and spread word around the tavern that Jack Sparrow was outfitting for a pirating expedition. The less than positive response - and the numerous threats they received - didn't give them much hope.

Only a few people went to get details from Gibbs and Jack, so Alice decided the rest of them should return to the ship to help the others get her provisioned. They took their time heading back to the docks, Alice fighting the urge to get lost for a night - or three - in this place.

Back at the Pearl, Ragetti handed her the list of what they needed.

"We could'n read it," he said, gesturing to himself and Pintel, "but we got some o' the usual supplies."

Alice smiled at them and looked over the list. They had actually covered most of what was needed, and she sent them to get the last few items while Cotton helped her and Paul begin loading the ship. Marty double-checked the supplies to make sure the quantities were correct and, deciding to double the amount of water, set about on that errand.

"Who knew this is what our lives would become?" Paul said with a small laugh as they moved a relatively light crate. Alice half-chuckled.

"I guess I knew," she replied. "Well, for me, anyway."

"You never did tell me why exactly you left," he said as they set the crate down on the deck. Alice winced slightly.

"I had my reasons," she said simply, heading back to the gangway to move the next crate. Paul followed her quick footsteps, helping her lift the box.

"You... used to... tell... me... everything," he grunted out as they carried the heavy cargo up to the ship.

"A lot's... happened... since then."

"I know... but..." They set down the crate on the deck. Paul took a few deep, heaving breaths. "But you never told me  _why_  you left."

"Does it matter?" Alice responded, heading down to the dock once more.

"It matters to me."

"Why?" She asked, as they lifted the next crate.

"Because... I... missed... you..." Alice paused slightly, but then continued up the plank.

"Why?" She huffed.

"Because... I... love you."

Luckily they were on the deck, because Alice dropped the box, Paul jumping back slightly as he released the other side. She stared at him, a rush of feelings - from elation to confusion to sadness to frustration to anger - rising up in her all at once. He walked over and stood in front of her. His resolve set, he cupped her face with one hand leaned in to kiss her.

Something snapped in Alice, and she slapped his hand away, ducking back quickly. Paul looked at her in confusion.

" _Now_  you love me?" She asked incredulously.

"What?! I've  _always_  loved you!" Alice's eyes flashed with dangerous rage.

"You've  _always_  loved me," she bit back with a sarcastic sneer. "I sure fucking believe  _that_!"

"Why don't you believe me?!" Alice advanced on him quickly.

"Why the fuck should I?!" She yelled. Paul just stared at her, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to find the words. "It's all great that you love me  _now_ , but that didn't seem to matter much to you back  _then_!" She screamed. "Where the  _fuck_  was this  _love_  when I was with you? When I was there for you? When I could have, would have, and  _DID_  do everything for you?! Where the fuck was this so-called ' _love_ ' when you decided you'd rather be with  _HER_?" Alice was practically foaming at the mouth as angry tears ran down her face, the things she'd wanted to say to him for well over a year finally coming out in an explosion of anger. "Now that she left you, and I'm the only fucking one here, it suddenly matters so fucking much to you," she choked out around the sobs rising in her throat. It made her angrier that she got uncontrollably emotional when upset, and she turned away from him.

She didn't see the tears forming in Paul's eyes, and she wouldn't have cared in that moment.

"It was... there were..." he stammered out. "I mean... I was  _incredibly stupid_  back then, and I fucked up."

Alice spun to face him once more, her breathing heavy.

"Yeah, you did," she spat. "You didn't even care that you hurt me - you only cared about yourself."

Paul stared at her, swallowing hard.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I really mean that!" He said quickly, as she opened her mouth to tear into him. "I felt fucking terrible about what I did to you, and I regretted it. I  _always_  loved you - I never stopped loving you."

"You  _regretted_  it," she balked at him. "Well, you can keep on regretting it!"

Alice was enraged. She wanted to keep lashing out and ripping him to shreds verbally, just as much as she wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.

"Alice..." His soft voice rang sorrowfully through the air.

"I can't deal with this right now," she said, running her hands down her face, wiping away the tears. She looked out across the dark sea and took a deep breath, trying to steady her shaking nerves. "We have to get back to work."

She took off for the dock, almost stumbling down the gangway. Pintel and Ragetti were returning with some livestock and other provisions, and she was grateful to see them.

"You okay?" Ragetti asked, looking at her closely with his one real eye, as he struggled to hold up one side of a decently sized chicken coop. Alice nodded.

"Let's get these guys onboard," she said with mock cheerfulness, taking a corner and navigating them up to the deck.

"We'll be eatin' good for a bit!" Ragetti said excitedly.

"I ain't pluckin' 'em," Pintel added gruffly, but Alice could tell he was pleased.

Alice's mind was racing, but she did her best to attempt distraction with busywork. Should she have said what she did? How tense would things be between her and Paul stuck in close quarters? She hated that she wanted to apologize to him; she hadn't said anything she regretted, but she wished she had said them differently, perhaps in a civil conversation. But why did he have to tell her he loved her? She was already a mess of conflicting feelings, and now so many more were surging through her.

She couldn't avoid him, though. They were a small crew that had to work together, and she doubted Jack and Gibbs had managed to get too many new recruits. With that in mind, she grudgingly helped him roll a barrel up to the deck, avoiding eye contact with him.

As they retrieved the next load of cargo, they heard Jack's voice in the distance; it seemed to carry over all the noise of the town. His words were indiscernible, though he didn't sound pleased. The others began loading up a net with barrels, and she headed belowdecks to begin figuring out placement, stopping by her bunk to grab a few swigs of rum. She thought the burning liquid might help center her mind a bit.

She grabbed a lantern and peered around the hold, not really seeing anything. In the quiet darkness her thoughts blared loudly. She sighed and leaned her back against the wall.

How long would this go on? Why did she have to overanalyze and overthink every small thing? What exactly was she feeling? She slumped down to the ground, setting her lantern beside her. Her heart both fluttered and dropped when he said he loved her. She knew she still loved him, that she would never stop loving him. She didn't realize how much she ached to hear those words from him, yet she was surprised at how much they felt like a dagger. She was mad that he hadn't said them sooner; no, she was mad that his feelings for her hadn't taken precedence over his feelings for another. Yet, she loved Barbossa: Would her feelings for him not be more than for Paul were he here?  _But he's dead_. She shook her head; Death would not,  _could not_  diminish her feelings for him. Just as time and distance did not lessen her feelings for Paul. She let out an exasperated growl. Why hadn't she brought the rum in here with her?

She stood up slowly, picking up her lantern and glancing around. She couldn't be alone with her thoughts right now; she needed more distraction, and headed back up to the main deck to see what needed doing.

She stepped into the warm night air and took a deep breath, looking around. A man she didn't recognize was leaning drunkenly against the capstan; he wore a dirty frockcoat, and scraggly white hair - tied haphazardly with a crooked black bow - stuck out under a crushed tricorn hat. Seeing Pintel talking to him, she walked over.

"-an' we'll see 'ow useful you actually is," she caught Pintel saying.

"Oh, please. I'm probably the most capable man among this sorry excuse for a crew."

Alice stopped dead in her tracks, her racing heartbeat suddenly thumping in her ears.

"No," she reflexively said in disbelief.

The man turned part way to glance at her, but did a double take and spun around to fully face her.

Whatever - whoever - she was expecting to find, the last thing on that list would have been Commodore James Norrington.


	15. Close Comforts

"Have all the ghosts from my past banded together to descend upon me at once?" James Norrington asked in exasperation. Pintel laughed, but Alice just stared at the man.

"James... what are you doing here?" She asked, fixed in place with shock.

"Taking a holiday," he responded sarcastically. That shook Alice back to her senses, and she scowled at him. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm one of the new crew."

"I had gathered that," Alice replied in annoyance. "What... happened to you?" She asked, looking him over. He was caked in what appeared to be dried mud.

"I assume you were on this crew when I had been chasing you halfway across the world?" Alice nodded mutely. "Then you remember the hurricane." She gasped.

"You actually followed us into that?!"

"I was determined to capture Sparrow and see him hang for his crimes."

"You were stupid," she scoffed.

"I was foolhardy," he replied. "Blinded by my arrogant desires for justice and revenge, and still stinging from the loss of my  _fiancée_ ," he said with distaste, turning his glare toward the starboard rail.

Alice followed his gaze. A slight figure stood there in a long brown coat, fair coloured bits of hair poking out from under a tricorn hat. The person was speaking intently to Gibbs. He turned back to Alice.

"Though, I can't say I am particularly displeased to see you," he leered. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Back to work," she said. "There's still much to load."

Alice walked past the individual she had spied before, making her way down to the last of the cargo. Surveying what remained, she bent to lift a basket of fruit when she felt hands grasp her hips. In a swift movement, she turned and grabbed the individual, shoving them off the side of the dock into the seawater. After a few seconds the figure surfaced, sputtering and gasping. It was Norrington. Alice tried to scowl through her amusement.

Ragetti helped pull him from the water, and Norrington glared at her indignantly. It would have been more effective had he not looked like a half-drowned rat.

"That was utterly uncalled for!"

"Oh, you just  _happened_  to grab me by the hips - completely accidentally, of course," she scoffed.

"I was not attempting anything untoward," he said in an angry huff. "Merely trying to get past you."

"Oh, sure; whatever you say," she replied sarcastically. "Well, at least now you're clean."

They grabbed up the last few baskets of cargo, and began loading them.

"What happened to you  _now_?" She heard the slight pirate say to Norrington with an amused sigh, and Alice almost dropped the basket.

"Elizabeth?!"

"Alice!" Elizabeth gasped. Setting the basket down at once, Alice embraced the governor's daughter. "You're alive!"

"What are  _you_  doing here? And dressed, well, like  _that_?" Alice giggled.

"It's a long story," Elizabeth replied with a sad smile. "It's so strange to be back here," she added, looking around the ship.

"I heard that things are pretty bad in Port Royal," Alice said grimly.

"It's dreadful. The East India Trading Company has taken over everything. They arrested Will and I on our wedding day, as well as my father."

"That's what Will was telling me."

"So you've seen him; Will," she said, her voice hopeful. Alice nodded. "Is it true that he was press-ganged into joining Davy Jones' crew?"

"Er..." Alice looked past Elizabeth, and saw Jack giving her a meaningful look. "Yes," she said, looking back to Elizabeth. "It's also a long story."

"Jack said we could free him by finding the chest of Davy Jones. Do you... think he's telling the truth?" She asked, her voice dropping. Alice took a deep breath.

"From everything I've gathered, he is," she replied, trying to keep the uncertainty from her voice. There was no point in worrying the other girl needlessly. "So, were you traveling with Norrington?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, no!" Elizabeth let out a humorless laugh. "Found him starting a drunken brawl in a tavern shortly after I arrived here as a stowaway on a merchant ship," she lightly explained and smiled, albeit a bit sadly. "When I heard James signed up with Jack Sparrow's crew, I followed them here." Elizabeth looked over to the capstan, which he was now turning with several of the crew. "I don't quite know what happened to him. He looks terrible, though."

Not wanting to go into details, Alice simply nodded in agreement.

* * *

They finally set out from Tortuga, heading to... well, Alice wasn't sure where they were headed, only that they had discerned some specific heading.

The crewmembers not on shift were mostly in their bunks, fast asleep after the long night of loading cargo. Alice gazed out from the forecastle, sipping rum as she stared out at the stars reflected on the night sea. The appearance of Norrington and Elizabeth had served as a good distraction from her earlier thoughts, but she found them creeping back. Luckily, one of those distractions was still around.

"How the mighty have fallen," James Norrington said sullenly as he approached her. He appeared to have sobered up some. "Who would have thought I'd end up on a bloody pirate ship, serving under Jack bloody Sparrow." Alice rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't under the impression that you were forced to be here," Alice said pointedly.

"I'd rather have him where I can see him," he said somewhat haughtily. Alice raised her eyebrows skeptically. He huffed. "Fine. I was ready to leave Tortuga, and I'd at least sailed with Mr. Gibbs for quite some time. Early in my Navy career, when I was a captain."

"Ah," was all she could say.

"I hadn't expected to come across my former fiancée on her quest for her latest fiancé," he said bitterly. "Nor had I expected to find you here." He sighed. "Not that it isn't a rather more pleasant surprise than I expected. I had meant it when I said that earlier, though I apologize for being quite... lecherous about it. Rum is-"

"Don't blame the alcohol," Alice admonished playfully. "When drunk we speak truths we would otherwise be too afraid or ashamed to say." He responded with a small grunt of affirmation.

"How... have you been?" He asked sincerely. Alice exhaled a deep sigh.

"' _Well'_ , I suppose? I've had to deal with quite a lot myself."

"You seem rather... stronger... than when I last saw you."

"The last time you saw me you were interrogating me about the events leading to the death of  _my_  fiancé," she retorted bitterly. Norrington's face contorted in pained remorse. "At any rate," she continued, losing the harsh edge to her voice, "I've had to become stronger, having survived heartache, a hurricane, untoward pirates, and cannibals, to name a few." He stared at her in astonishment. "Never a dull moment around here," she laughed, and took a swig of rum.

"So it would seem," he replied, at a loss for words. He gazed out at the sea. "I've missed this," he said softly.

"It never gets less stunning to me," she said, standing beside him.

Her mind brought back the unbidden memory of the first night she and Paul stood here doing the same thing. She took a longer draw from the bottle and passed it to Norrington. He eyed it for a moment before taking it and having a drink as well.

They stood there in silence for a long time, sharing the rum. Alice stole quick glances at his face when she thought he wouldn't notice. He no longer had the wig or the hat on, and his dark hair was now messily tied back with ribbon, the short hair at the front falling forward to frame his elegant face. He looked a bit rougher than he had back in Port Royal, but not in a bad way: In fact, he looked quite as he had the night they had made love. He turned to look at her, and she looked away, blushing at the memory. Hearing him chuckle, she turned to find him smiling warmly at her.

"You're as beautiful as ever, Alice," he said softly, reaching up to stroke her cheek delicately. She blushed even harder.

"James," she whispered, gazing at him through half-lidded eyes.

He leaned down and kissed her, gently at first, but with increasingly more passion. Alice moaned softly into his mouth; it had been so long since she had been kissed like this. In fact, the last time had been by him, the night she had just been recalling. He broke the kiss, his lips moving across her jaw, down to her neck, as her fingers tangled in his long hair. She let out small gasps, her arousal rising like fire, and he pressed his body against hers so she could feel his erection. She wanted to take him belowdecks, find someplace they could be alone, someplace-

She froze suddenly, remembering Paul. Suddenly their entire discussion from earlier flooded her mind, and she groaned in despair.

"James," she said, reluctantly pulling away from him. He looked at her puzzled. "I'm... I'm sorry. I- we can't. Not right now."

"Why is that?" His ragged voice further aroused her.

"It's not you," she began. "It's... it's been a long day. A lot has happened. I need to fully process everything. I don't want this to just be an easy distraction."

"Why not?" he asked huskily, pulling her close to him once more. "I, for one, would welcome such a delightful distraction."

She gasped out a soft moan, but quickly steeled her resolve, pushing back gently. "I'm sorry. Please... just understand." She gave him a pleading look, and he sighed in frustration.

"I don't understand," he said with slight annoyance. "But I won't push you."

Alice gave him a sad smile, and pulled him close for a hug, kissing his cheek.

"I should go to bed," she said softly.

"With me," he added.

"Good night, James," she said with a sad smile.

"Alice," he responded with a slight inclination of his head.


	16. A Quiet Morning

As Alice awoke, the events from the previous night reappeared in her mind. She heaved a big sigh. Would she ever again awake simply peaceful and refreshed? She growled to herself and rolled out of the hammock, stretching as she stood.

The bright sun and clear sky greeted her as she walked out onto the deck. She spied Norrington carrying a bucket and mop. He gazed at Alice, and she turned away, making her way to the forecastle to grab some food and water.

"Mornin', Alice," Ragetti beamed at her, happily eating a mango.

"Good morning," she said in return, then looked next to him and saw Paul. He gave her a sad smile and looked away.

Inside the forecastle, she sighed sadly. Her heart longed to comfort Paul, but she was steeling her resolve as best she could. Scooping up water with her cup, she grabbed a banana and a mango, and made her way back to them. She had to get used to Paul's presence again, and no better way than over food.

He eyed her as she sat near him, then he looked across the deck.

"Have you eaten yet, Paul?" She asked, holding out the banana for him. He turned to look at her, his eyes sad but wary. "It's not poisoned," she said lightheartedly, and he grudgingly took the proffered food.

"Thank you," he said quietly. Alice offered him a small smile, and she began tearing into the juicy mango.

"Making more of a mess for me to clean?" She looked up to see Norrington, the annoyance in his voice visible on his face.

Staring right at him, Alice took a deep bite from the mango, the juices dripping onto the deck. He rolled his eyes, causing her to grin. Ragetti giggled.

"You'll be helping me, you know," Norrington said to Ragetti pointedly, and Alice laughed.

"Happy to see that Miss Swann is back wit' us," Pintel smiled, coming to sit beside them. Alice swallowed her food and returned the smile.

"Me too." Norrington huffed at this. "Of course  _you're_  not," Alice rolled her eyes.

"Ought I to be?"

"Well, now 'at Turner 's gone off with them fish folks, you got 'nother chance with 'er," Pintel said, chewing a bit of bread.

"Not a chance in hell," he bit out acidly.

"Oooooh," Pintel and Ragetti said in unison, causing Norrington's face to contort in anger.

"Stop it now, all of you," Alice sighed, still amused. "Have you eaten James?"

"Yes," he huffed. "Early this morning, when I awoke at a respectable hour." Alice sputtered out a laugh at his snooty air.

"Means you didn't have enough to drink last night," she responded. "Live a little," she admonished playfully at his eye roll.

"While you still can," Paul said darkly. They all looked at him in surprise. "What? It's not like anything is guaranteed, especially aboard this ship. Besides, you all know what's after us."

"What, pray tell, is after us?" James asked, but everyone was suddenly contemplative, ignoring his question. Alice groaned out a sigh.

"He's right, though," she said. "We don't know what fate will befall us so, in the meantime, let's embrace whatever enjoyment we can." With that she returned to her mango, eating it as messily as possible to the amusement of all but James.

* * *

Alice had some time to catch up with Elizabeth, and they sat on the stairs outside of the captain's cabin. The other girl had disclosed that she had "received" letters of marque from Lord Cutler Beckett, and Alice was entertained to hear exactly how she had procured them.

"Piiiiiirate," Alice song-songed, and Elizabeth laughed, blushing a bit.

"I've missed this," she sighed, looking out across the ship.

"The number of times I have heard that lately..." Alice trailed off, and Elizabeth smiled. "You belong at sea. You've always known that deep down."

"I think that's possibly true, but... I don't know." She leaned back on her elbows, gazing out at the sky. "I went from doing what was expected of me as the governor's daughter to bucking that by choosing to marry Will. And furthermore by obtaining this pardon, stowing away aboard a ship, and voluntarily joining a pirate crew to complete that marriage. Perhaps now that I've seen both sides, and been privy firsthand to the corruption facing government, I ought to return and fight it on land."

"You're more likely to have authority at sea than on land," Alice said, and Elizabeth sighed, leaning against her.

"You're probably right," she laughed in a deprecating manner. "But I've fought tradition once before. Why not try to do it again?"

Alice put an arm around Elizabeth's shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I've always loved how willful you are. I've no doubt you'd be a force to reckon with." Elizabeth giggled.

"Could you have imagined if I ever would have been capable of any of this if I had married someone like  _Norrington_?" Alice snorted.

"He would have had his hands full, that's for sure," she laughed and Elizabeth joined in with her

"Miss Elizabeth." Gibbs' kind but concerned voice cut across the two raucous girls, and they looked at him with a smile. "Jack would like a word."

Alice stood up, waving Elizabeth off with a smile as Jack eyed her in his approach. She would get to work on the day's menial tasks while they discussed whatever plan Jack was hatching.


	17. Unexpected Liason

The decks had been scrubbed, the goats and chickens had been fed, and they were sailing smoothly through a quiet sea. Alice figured this would be a perfect time to lounge in her bunk, perhaps even catch a small nap.

As she was readying to climb into her hammock, however, she looked at Norrington in the next one over. His hands were clasped over his stomach, and his feet were out on either side, both planted firmly on the ground. He looked over at her, the emotions carefully guarded on his pensive face. Their eyes locked for a long moment before he looked away.

Alice smiled sadly, turned, and made her way further below to grab an extra bottle of rum from the hold. As she ran her fingers across the bottles, creaky footsteps approached, and the door opened slowly. She glanced at Norrington as he closed the door tenderly, hanging there a minute with his hand against the damp wood.

She pulled a bottle off the shelf as he came up beside her. She turned to face him, not expecting the deep warring of determination and defeat etched across his features. He simply looked at her, something in his eyes pleading for an answer to a quandary of which she was unaware.

Alice wasn't sure why she did it. She uncorked the bottle, took a long draw and leaned toward him, her lips quickly parting against his as the rum spilled forth between their mouths. He placed one hand on her waist and the other behind her head, pulling her tighter to him as his tongue slipped into her mouth, deepening their alcoholic union. The kiss quickly grew more frantic and passionate; both of them were in need of something unspoken, as they mutually fought to find some lost meaning in this moment.

She was barely aware of setting the bottle on a barrel before one hand was buried in his tangled hair, the other digging into the fabric cloaking his back, and she was suddenly being pressed against a wall, his lips moving along her jaw and neck as she gasped breathily, clinging ever tighter to him.

It all moved so fast. Her shirt was over her head and tossed to the floor; his hands and lips were on her breasts; his shirt was gone, and her hand was stroking his hard cock through his pants; her boots and breeches were gone, and he was stroking her wet slit; they were on the floor.

He kneeled between her legs, both of them breathing heavily. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before closing them in unison as he slowly entered her. She gasped as he moaned softly, pausing briefly once he was fully inside. He opened his eyes to look at her, and resumed kissing her as he slid out and pushed back in with more force.

Their lovemaking was frenzied and erratic. She quickly rolled on top of him, riding his cock with wild abandon; he sat up with her in his lap, holding her close and thrusting into her as she ground down on him; he lifted her up, her legs wrapped tightly around his hips as he pounded her against the wall. She threw her head back against the wood as an intense orgasm quaked through her body, forcing him to fight against the convulsive pressure of her vagina tightening around him. It was too much. With a deep growl he thrust into her, and his orgasm peaked; his body shuddered and twitched as ejaculated deep inside of her.

They both took several deep gasping breaths before he slowly lowered them to the ground, cradling her tightly against him. She could feel his heart hammering in his chest, echoing her own. She clung to him, their bodies both slick and sticky with thick sweat, as their breathing began to even out.

She looked into his eyes. There was still some far-off trepidation visible in them, but there was also some calm amidst the conflict. He kissed her softly... slowly... tenderly; it was a kiss that gave thanks but also begged forgiveness.

And, in that moment, she would forgive him anything.


	18. Small Talk

Having finished dinner, Alice and Paul stood at the forecastle staring out at the dark sea. She was feeling much better in that moment; between the earlier lovemaking session with Norrington and now a full belly, she was feeling more peaceful than she had in a while. She asked Paul to join her that night because she was finally ready to talk to him more at length about her time here.

She filled him in more on some trifling stories about life at the governor's mansion, drinking in the taverns with maids, and so on. She also told him about her past with Norrington (but neglecting to tell him about their earlier tryst). He seemed both surprised and not at the same time.

"I came here because of you," she suddenly said softly.

"Me?"

"I always loved you, from the moment I met you." Paul stared at her, a sad look across his face.

"Why did you never tell me?"

"Honestly? I was scared. I know— I know we had an open relationship, but I saw a future with you in that. And I was afraid that if I told you that I loved you, I would scare you away." She stared at him for a long moment before looking away. "But then you left anyway," she whispered. Paul sighed, turning to look out at sea.

"I thought I was unlovable," he said quietly. "Failed marriages, my life not going the direction I wanted... I was feeling incredibly low. During our relationship - and the others I was in at that time - I felt happy for the first time in a long time. And then... well, I fucked it up. All of it." He paused and ran his fingers through his hair before bending down and crossing his arms on the railing. "This person came along offering me the things I thought I'd never have. Things I had given up on having. And I took the gamble; I went all-in, breaking the hearts and lives of three people who loved me more than that one ever did. It was a mistake, and I regret it."

Alice stared at him. She wanted to ask him questions, but they were purely egotistical, such as if he found her more attractive or if she was better in bed or if he loved her more. She imagined him asking her those sorts of questions about Barbossa, and how unfair she would find being asked such.

"If I could go back in time, I'd—"

"Going back in time doesn't change things,  _obviously_ ," she said, trying to contain her grin. Paul looked at her for a moment before they both laughed.

"Okay, maybe that was a stupid thing to say," he smiled.

"But I know what you mean. Going back in time doesn't change things, it just makes them different. And, as much as we sometimes wish it, we wouldn't want to erase time because then we'd lose the experiences that gave us that perspective only to make the same mistakes again."

"We can't erase time, but we can erase memories," he smirked, picking up his bottle of brandy and shaking it at her.

"Well, let's not erase  _all_  memories," she said with a small laugh. Straightening up, she turned to face him. "I do love you, Paul. I'm just... not ready for... something." She sighed in exasperation. "I'm dealing with a lot of my own stuff still right now. I'm still not ready to talk about all of it. I feel like I should be able to by now, but it just doesn't feel right yet."

"I understand." She looked over to see him smiling softly at her, and she couldn't help but hug him tightly. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"I am, too."

They broke their embrace and stood there silently, staring out at the sea once more. She was absently twisting the ring on her finger as she gazed at the stars reflecting on the sea. She stood here in this very spot, a lifetime ago it seemed, looking at these stars with Hector. Her vision blurred slightly as tears started forming, but she blinked them away. Picking up her rum bottle, she took a deep swig.

She knew he was gone, so why did he feel closer than ever?


	19. Matters of the Heart

The sun felt softer than usual as Alice stood at the starboard rail on the aft-castle, staring out at the infinite horizon. She was missing Hector more than she had in a very long time. She knew why her feelings for him were stronger than ever: She knew it was time to move on. But she wasn't ready, she told herself. Yet how long could she continue on like this?

She walked over to Cotton, who was ever vigilant at the helm's wheel. He smiled kindly at her as she approached.

"May I take the wheel? Just for a few moments?" She asked. He nodded and offered her the wheel. With a sad smile she took it into her hands. The worn wood felt strong and smooth against her skin.  _Just like him_ , she thought, the tears welling up in her eyes again. She stood up straight, recalling all the times she watched him steer the ship; even in a storm he made it look effortless, like it was simply a part of his very being. She could almost feel his hands on hers, guiding her as she adjusted it almost instinctively. She had always felt nervous behind the wheel, but not this time. She felt like she was channeling him, if only from memory.

As long as she had the Pearl, she had him. He lived on through this ship.

She was vaguely aware of everyone on the ship, something she hadn't really noticed any other time she was at the helm. Norrington was working ropes with Paul on the forecastle. Pintel and Ragetti we're moving about the main deck. Various crew members were scampering back and forth, carrying out their individual duties on deck and in the rigging. Elizabeth sat on the stairs, and Jack swaggered his way out of the cabin. He gazed up at Alice.

"You gave me a bleeding fright there," he called up, scowling. "Thought you were Barbossa for a moment."

Alice let out a laugh that was more suited to the aforementioned late captain, causing Jack to stare at her with wide eyes for a moment before he went to talk to Elizabeth.

"That's because I  _am_ a Barbossa," she whispered to herself, smiling through the soft tears that sparkled in the corners of her eyes.

* * *

"Land, ho!"

The crew scrambled for the port side of the ship as Alice was broken out of her reverie. She turned to Cotton, who quickly resumed control of the helm, and then ran to look out as well.

An emerald green island glimmered in the distance, and Gibbs immediately set the crew to preparing a long boat.

Almost as soon as the anchor was dropped, the longboat was lowered, with Jack, Pintel, Ragetti, Norrington, Elizabeth, Paul, and Alice on board. Jack didn't think it was necessary to take two boats but, having been on many previous "adventures" with Jack, Alice begged to differ.

As Pintel and Ragetti rowed the small boat, they were pointlessly arguing the semantics of the pronunciation of "kraken". Jack was clutching his jar of dirt fearfully, glancing around at the open waters.

"This used to be a leper colony," Elizabeth said quietly. Pintel and Ragetti immediately stopped arguing and eyed each other in horror and disgust.

"You know this place?" Norrington asked.

"Stories," she replied. "The Church of England came to the island, and brought salvation... as well as disease, and death. They say the priest had to bury everybody, one after the other. It drove him mad, and he hung himself."

"Better mad with the rest of the world than sane alone," Norrington replied.

"Makes sense that Jones would leave his heart here, then," Jack said.

* * *

Once on shore, Paul, Pintel, and Ragetti stayed with the boat, while the others went further inland.

Elizabeth had the compass out, and they were following her to some specific spot, shovels in hand. Alice took in their surroundings, noting how eerily silent it was - even the birds seems to sing quietly. It wasn't a particularly big island; aside from some jungle and vast expanses of sand, the only thing that stood out was an abandoned church. The surrounding sea was a brilliantly clear sapphire blue, and Alice longed to swim in it, despite the terrors awaiting them in its depths.

Elizabeth had been pacing back and forth in a small section of sand, staring angrily at the compass. Finally, she sat down in a huff, tossing the compass aside.

"This doesn't work," she said angrily. "And it certainly doesn't show you what you want most!"

Jack immediately ran over, staring at the compass in concern as Norrington smirked at Elizabeth.

"Yes, it does," he said in annoyance. "You're sitting on it."

"Beg pardon?" Elizabeth asked, confused.

"Move," Jack said simply, shooing her away. He looked at Norrington and whistled, pointing at the ground where Elizabeth had just been sitting.

With a glare, Norrington stood up straight, grabbed the shovel he had been leaning on and took a few steps, jamming the shovel into the soft sand where Jack had indicated, grudgingly digging for the buried treasure.

Alice could tell he thought this was a fool's errand, and that he was complying just to prove Jack wrong. Elizabeth moved to stand by Alice, and the two watched the former commodore go about his task. Jack watched intently at first, but then sat down a few steps away, crossing his legs then closing his eyes as he drifted off into a form of meditation.

The girls gazed around island, glancing at each other often, neither one wanting to break the skeptical hopefulness that hung thick in the air.

***THUD***

They snapped their attention to Norrington, who had stilled suddenly and was staring at them in surprise. Jack's eyes flew open, and they all slowly moved toward the hole, staring down into it to see what he had struck.

In a flash they were all using their hands to clear away the sand atop and around the wooden trunk before lifting it out and setting it aside. Jack took the shovel from Norrington, broke off the lock with it, and tossed it away, dropping to his knees. There was an apprehensive look on his face as he reached out with both hands to grasp the lid, opening it slowly.

Alice wasn't sure what she expected to see when the box was opened, but this wasn't it. A large conch shell, bits of lace fabric, a pearl necklace... but mostly letters - hundreds of letters. As Jack swept them aside, she and Elizabeth each grabbed one and began reading to themselves.

"- _you. My only love, you did not take it seriously then. Perhaps now you see the greatness of my pain. I always held you in my heart, hence why I could not keep_ -"

She stopped reading as Jack lifted out another, smaller chest. It was very ornately decorated, with scrollwork tentacles and a heart-shaped lock. They all gazed at it for a moment then, as Jack leaned closer, so did they, listening closely.

***ba-thump* *ba-thump***

The legends were true - this was the chest containing the still-beating heart of Davy Jones.


	20. On the Island

"It's real," Elizabeth whispered.

"You actually  _were_  telling the truth," Norrington said in surprise, a small smile on his face.

"I do that quite a lot," Jack said, a bit miffed. "Yet people are always surprised."

"With good reason."

They all looked up in surprise to see a soaking wet Will Turner standing there.

"Will!" Elizabeth said breathlessly and ran to him. "You're all right! Thank God! I came to find you!" She wrapped her arms around Will, and he kissed her lovingly. As Norrington looked away from the scene, Alice looked at Jack who looked back at her in nervous annoyance.

"How did you get here?" Jack asked suddenly.

"Sea turtles, mate," he replied smirking. "A pair of them. Strapped to my feet."

Alice and Norrington looked at each other in confusion.

"Not so easy, is it?" Jack smiled.

"But I do owe you thanks, Jack," he said.

"You do?" Jack asked.

"After you tricked me onto that ship to square your debt with Jones..." he paused.

"What?" Elizabeth asked, glaring furiously at Jack.

"What?" Jack replied innocently looking around at Norrington and Alice.

"...I was reunited with my father," Will finished.

"Oh. Well, you're welcome, then," Jack smiled.

Elizabeth stomped over to Jack, livid.

"Everything you said to me... Every word was a lie," she said.

"Pretty much," Jack grinned. "Time and tide, love."

"And you," she turned on Alice. "You knew, and yet you told me nothing!" Alice opened her mouth to respond, but was distracted by Jack.

"Oi! What are you doing?" he asked Will, who had pulled out a knife in one hand, a key in the other, and was kneeling in front of the chest, rotating it toward himself.

"I'm going to kill Jones," he replied matter-of-factly. Jack drew his sword immediately, putting it to Will's throat.

"Can't let you do that, William." Will turned to look at Jack. "'Cause, if Jones is dead, who's to call his terrible beastie off the hunt, eh?" Everyone was quiet at that, considering Jack's words. "Now, if you please. The key," Jack said with his hand out toward Will.

As Will stepped toward Jack slowly, he passed in front of Elizabeth. In a flash, he grabbed the sword from her scabbard, pointing it at Jack. Alice grabbed Elizabeth's wrist in surprise.

"I keep the promises I make, Jack," he said. "I intend to free my father. I hope you're there to see it."

"I can't let you do that, either," Norrington interjected, drawing his sword on Will. Elizabeth jumped, and Alice gasped. "So sorry."

"I knew you'd warm up to me eventually," Jack smirked, taking a step toward him. Norrington's sword immediately switched from Will to Jack.

"Lord Beckett desires the content of that chest," Norrington said in a low menacing voice. "I deliver it, I get my life back."

"What?!" Alice yelled incredulously.

"Ah, the dark side of ambition," Jack grinned.

"Oh, I prefer to see it as the promise of redemption," Norrington smiled coldly.

"How could you?!" Alice yelled. "You're making a mistake!"

"Am I?" He glowered at her. "What, did you think that just because we fucked a couple of times I would give up my allegiances? Was that it?" Alice stared at him aghast as he smirked at her. "You were an easy fuck. A good one, but that's all you were." His words cut Alice like a knife, and she intended to do the same to him. She grabbed for her dagger, but quickly realized she did not have it on her.

"I thought you were a better person than this," Elizabeth spat. He glowered at her.

"I  _am_  the better person here. I intend to return to my duties and eradicate piracy once and for all."

Jack and Will swung their swords at him suddenly, and a melee broke out.

"Stop it!" Elizabeth screamed, but they ignored her. Shaking with hurt and rage, Alice was looking around for a weapon. Elizabeth grabbed her arm.

"You... and  _him_?!" Alice stared at her in surprise before her expression turned angry again.

"What does it matter?" Now Elizabeth stared at her in surprise, mouth opening and closing soundlessly.

"Will!" She suddenly gasped as he was knocked down.

"Mind the chest," he said to Elizabeth as he got to his feet and chased off after Jack and Norrington, who had run out toward the sandbar, swords clashing.

"No!" Both women yelled in unison, taking off after them.

"This is barbaric!" Elizabeth screamed. "This is not how grown men-" Her diatribe continued on, but Alice was much too busy with some screaming of her own.

"James Norrington, you fucking  _asshole_!" Alice screamed at the same time. "You know damn well I was more than just a  _fuck_! I probably know more about you than anyone!" Her voice switched to a mocking tone. " _'My life is so hard! I have to get maaaaaaried! This is the worst thing everrrrr!'_  You know what? Fuck you! I hope Beckett double-crosses  _you_! You're going to die sad and alone, and it's going to be all. Your. FAULT!"

Alice's breathing was ragged as the rage consumed her. At the same moment, she and Elizabeth began picking up anything they could find - shells, rocks, bits of driftwood - and started hucking them at the fighting men.

"I  _hate_  you!" Alice yelled.

"This is madness!" Elizabeth screamed, still tossing debris.

"You'll deserve what happens to you! You TRAITOR!" Alice shouted after tossing one final rock in their direction.

"ENOUGH!" Elizabeth yelled, at them and at her. Alice snapped her jaw shut, her chest heaving. When the men didn't stop, Elizabeth tried being dramatic. "Oh. Oh! The heat!" she said loudly and pretended to faint. They still ignored her.

"Stop that," Alice hissed. Just then something caught her eye: Pintel and Ragetti were running off toward the jungle carrying the chest, Paul close behind yelling at them. "HEY!" She sprinted off after them.

As they ducked into the trees, Alice could hear Elizabeth behind her.

"This way!" she called out. "We can go around there and cut them off!"

Alice turned and followed the direction the other girl was taking. They made good headway, running out in time to block the path. Pintel and Ragetti stopped - Paul nearly running into them - and looked at the girls with concern. Elizabeth smiled and reached for her sword... forgetting that Will had taken it. Their faces took on menacing grins as they dropped the chest, and began advancing on Elizabeth. Before Alice could react, everyone paused as something came crashing through the jungle.

A giant mill wheel rolled past; Will and Norrington were running along the top, still dueling, and Jack was chasing after it. They watched it go off into the trees with some bewilderment before the two men resumed their previous advancement, drawing their swords. Paul nudged Alice and gestured to the chest. She nodded, and together they moved toward it.

They all once again stopped in their tracks, but this time for a much more sinister reason: Davy Jones' men were on the island and coming right for them. Alice grabbed Paul, and they immediately turned and ran. She glanced behind after a moment and saw Pintel and Ragetti following them with the chest, and Elizabeth bringing up the rear, now dual-wielding swords. The dense ground cover offered many obstacles, but they had thankfully avoided them thus far as they scrambled through.

Elizabeth's scream made Alice turn around in time to see Pintel and Ragetti run on either side of a tree, knocking the chest out of their hands. They paused only for a fraction of a second, but that was all it took for Jones' men to reach them. Elizabeth held up the crossed swords, blocking the strike aimed at her from the mutated attacker. She shoved him off, knocking him back into the other men, and they resumed running. Alice could hear the monsters catch back up with them, as sword-fighting broke out. Since neither she nor Paul were armed, they continued running, glancing behind frequently.

Knowing they needed to go back the other way, they made an arc back toward where they had entered the jungle, and broke free of the trees. At the same time, a short ways down the tree line, the mill wheel came crashing through. It took out several of Jones' men who were fighting Elizabeth, and travelled some ways before it slowed to a halt, falling over. Will and Norrington emerged, both too dizzy to walk properly, but trying anyway. Paul and Alice tried to head for the boat, where Jack was fighting off one of the monsters using an oar for a weapon, but they had to dodge the attackers who were swinging axes, swords, maces, and other weapons at them. Paul narrowly missed being hit with a club covered in shark teeth, and Alice shoved the creature down so they could resume running.

Norrington had reached the boat before them, but took off as Pintel and Ragetti got there. After setting the chest inside, the two pirates began pushing the boat out, only to be stopped by Will. As Alice and Paul approached, the two men had grabbed an oar and a net, and they were taunting Will. Alice turned to see the fight encroaching upon them as everyone was now almost to the boat.

"Leave him lie!" she heard Jack say, and turned to see Will slumped over the side of the boat, knocked out. "Unless you plan on using him to hit something with."

"We're not getting out of this," Elizabeth said fearfully, the monsters surrounding them.

"Not with the chest," Norrington said. "Into the boat." He reached in and grabbed the chest.

"Wha-" Alice started, reaching out toward him, but Norrington cut her off.

"I'm sorry," he said to her quickly.

"You're mad!" Elizabeth said.

"Don't wait for me," he replied to her, and then took off running through the middle of the Dutchman crew, his sword clashing with their weapons as he drew them away. Alice and Elizabeth stared after him in shock and frustration.

"I say we respect his final wish," Jack said brightly.

"Aye!" shouted Pintel, and they all clambered into the boat.

All of Alice's earlier anger was gone, replaced with fear, sadness, confusion and surprise as she watched Norrington shrinking in the distance. She turned to Elizabeth who was also watching him, and the other girl looked at her. They held each others' gaze for a long moment, nonverbally communicating their shared feelings as the boat headed out into deeper water, everyone aboard it silent.


	21. Sunk

It was hectic aboard the Black Pearl as the entire crew worked to pick up speed as quickly as possible. Alice was helping to drop the sails when a loud crash of water caught everyone's attention. On the port side of the ship, the Flying Dutchman had surfaced, its crew taunting and jeering those on the Pearl. Seeing it for the first time, it seemed unreal; it looked as though a massive coral reef had taken over a mass of driftwood, and gotten tangled with nets and lines. Even the seaweed covered sails seemed as though they had simply grown there.

While the rest of them watched it frozen in awe and fear, Jack seemed unfazed.

"Oi, fishface!" he yelled out to Davy Jones, causing Alice to stare at him wide-eyed. "Lose something?" He was holding the jar of dirt over his head and tripped, falling down from the aftcastle, causing the entire crew to gasp. "Got it!" He held the intact jar up again as he stood and marched across the deck to the forecastle. "Come to negotiate, eh, have you, you slimy git? Look what I got." He began to sing tauntingly. " _I got a jar of dirt, I got a jar of dirt, and guess what's inside it_?" He held up the jar, grinning like a fool.

Jones was not amused, as evidenced by the opening of the grotesque gun ports. Barnacle covered cannons rolled out, and Alice grabbed Paul, Pintel, and Ragetti, stepping backward across the deck.

"Hard to starboard?" Jack questioned.

"HARD TO STARBOARD!" Elizabeth screamed, and the crew sprang to action.

As Alice and her band ran, cannonballs tore through the ship, narrowly missing them. They peered through the hole where the captain's door no longer was and could see that the cannons had come clean through the stern windows. Through what used to be the windows they saw the Dutchman turning, following them.

"She's on us!" Pintel yelled, and Alice followed as he and Ragetti ran up to the aftcastle.

The Dutchman continued to fire on them using cannons mounted on the bow of their ship. The Pearl was taking significant damage to both ship and crew; a cannonball narrowly missed Gibbs' head, and several crewmen were knocked overboard by the next barrage. However, the Black Pearl quickly began to outrun their attacker.

"We're the faster?" Will asked, confused.

"Aye, against the wind, the Dutchman beats us; that's how she takes her prey," Gibbs explained. "But with the wind..."

"We rob her advantage," Will finished.

"They're giving up!" Marty yelled, and the crew cheered.

Alice leaned out over the port rail, watching the Dutchman fall behind. There was a momentary sense of relief, but it was eclipsed by the feeling that something worse was coming. Suddenly, the entire ship lurched, and she fell on top of Paul, who she had not realized was standing behind her. There was a loud crash, and Alice looked over to see Jack suddenly scrambling down the stairs. She got to her feet and peered over the side into the blue waters.

"We must have hit a reef," someone shouted, but she could see no such evidence.

"It's not a reef!" Will yelled. "Get away from the rail!" He grabbed Elizabeth, pulling her away.

"What is it?" She asked him.

Will's next words sent a cold spike of dread through Alice.

"The kraken." He looked out across the ship. "To arms!"

She could feel her knees going wobbly, but she forced herself to run.

"Load guns!" Gibbs shouted. "Defend the mast!"

"It'll attack to starboard; I've seen it before," Will called out. "Run out the cannons, and wait for my signal!"

Alice headed belowdecks straightaway, Paul running behind her, followed by Pintel and Ragetti. Everyone on hand began opening the gunports and loading the cannons, rolling them out as quick as possible.

"I've never learned to do this!" Alice said, panicking slightly.

"I got you," Ragetti said.

As he loaded a cannon and shouted out directions, Alice followed along on the next one over, thanking the adrenaline for keeping her laser focused. Paul helped her roll it into place just as something blocked the port, causing them to jump back. The whole crew went silent.

Thick, slimy tentacles began ascending up the sides of the ship. Suction cups the size of her torso gulped and squelched as they thudded over the muzzles of the cannons. Alice felt physically ill with fear: Her heart was hammering so hard she thought it might actually escape her ribcage, her throat was so tight that it was hard to breathe, and she was starting to get light-headed as she fought to keep the panic at a manageable level.

Aside from the sound of the tentacles climbing ever higher, and the creaking from the wood beneath the weight, the ship was eerily silent. She glanced over at Pintel and Ragetti and saw the same terrified look she was sure was etched across her own face.

"Easy, boys!" They all jumped and let out small noises of surprise as Will appeared belowdecks, his arm outstretched in a placating manner.

"Will?" Elizabeth's tone was nervous and questioning.

"Steady! Steady," he said to the cannon crew. Alice held the fuse ready, trying to steady her shaking arm.

"Will?" Elizabeth asked again, her tone more fearful.

"Hold... Hold," Will said, and Alice realized she was even holding her breath.

"I think we've held fire long enough!" Pintel said, his tone urgent.

"WILL!" This time Elizabeth screamed his name.

"FIRE!"

Alice and the others wasted no time, and the already loud blast of the cannons was intensified after the prolonged silence. The ship shook a second time as the kraken's tentacles fell to the deck before falling away, glowing in spots where chunks had been blasted from them. A loud cheer rang out as they disappeared beneath the water.

Alice peered through the gunport; there was no way it had been  _that_  simple.

"Pull the grates!" came a call from one of the crewmen. "And get below to load the nets! Gunpowder, all of it!"

They sprang to action, closing and rolling the barrels of gunpowder toward the center, tossing them down to the rest as soon as it was clear.

"We are short-stocked on gunpowder!" the French pirate Boivin called up. "Six barrels!"

"-then load the rum!" The entire crew belowdecks stopped as Will made this proclamation, suddenly silent as they watched Gibbs. He glanced at them for a moment.

"Aye, the rum too!" Alice could tell it pained him to say it, and it pained her to hear it.

The crew further below began rolling more barrels toward the net, and Alice made to head toward the topdeck, but a hand grabbing her arm stopped her. She turned to see Paul holding her.

"Wouldn't it be safer t' stay down 'ere?" Pintel asked, eyes wide. Alice looked over and opened her mouth to answer him when the ship lurched with a heavy thud that could only mean the kraken had returned. She fell forward and Paul caught her.

Suddenly, tentacles came bursting through the sides of the ship. They were everywhere, thrashing and trying to grab anything - or anyone - they could. Alice screamed and dove out of the way as one came crashing past her, taking out the stairs. In the middle of the chaos the net full of barrels was rising up from the middle, Will holding tightly as he rose with it. Alice looked for her friends just in time to see a tentacle wrenching through the gunport between them, a crewman in its grip breaking in half as it pulled him through. They ran to her and Paul, and the four of them made their way to another set of stairs, grabbing any weapons they could before heading up. It was no longer safe anywhere on the ship, and helping where they could see what was happening was better than cowering in the confusion below.

They emerged just as one massive tentacle had smashed the capstan, and several others were slipping around the deck, some holding various members of the crew. There was chaos everywhere, with people and cannons being knocked overboard as everyone tried to attack any part of the creature any way they could. They were running across the deck, watching wildly around to avoid being the next casualty when Alice heard Paul yelp in pain. She quickly turned and saw him grabbing his arm as he continued to run with them.

In the middle of all of this, Will was taunting the kraken to come get him, and get him it tried. Alice looked up to see the kraken now tangled in the net of barrels, Will hanging from them as it looked like he was trying to free himself from being stuck. Alice paused next to Elizabeth for a second, who was aiming a gun at the net, waiting for Will to get away to take her shot. She turned and ran into the captain's cabin with her partners. They pulled her into a recessed area as tentacles slid in through the broken out windows toward the deck. Alice heard sudden screaming and looked down as Ragetti severed one of the creatures limbs that had grabbed hold of Elizabeth and was dragging her toward the sea. It slithered away and they ran to the doorway to survey the situation.

Elizabeth turned and ran up the stairs as another crewman was whipped away in the kraken's grip, and Alice and the others looked up to see Will still caught.

"Just shoot already!" Pintel yelled out as panic completely overtook them. Almost immediately, Will suddenly fell free, slamming into the deck. Behind him, the barrels began to fall free.

"NO!" Alice shouted but, a second later, the barrels began exploding; Ragetti grabbed Alice and pulled her behind the wall, shielding her from the exploding shrapnel. There was a loud roaring sound eschewing from the kraken below, and she peered out from the cabin.

The burning tentacles raised high in the air began to fall away slowly, almost dramatically. The deck was covered in flaming debris, and the remaining crew were slowly rising to their feet, having been knocked down either from the creature or the explosion. People began to carefully move out into the open. Alice glanced around at the dead bodied strewn everywhere, and then back toward the living.

"We just made it angry," she heard Gibbs say. "We're not out of this yet. Captain, orders!" he called out. They stepped out into the open, making their way toward Jack and the others.

"Abandon ship," Jack said evenly. "Into the longboat."

Several people made their way toward the boat, but Alice was rooted to the spot.

"Jack," Gibbs said, stopping the captain. "The Pearl." She felt her heart almost stop as he said the words her brain couldn't communicate to her mouth.

"She's only a ship, mate," Jack responded quietly.

"He's right - we have to head for land," Elizabeth said, and Alice took a sudden deep breath. She glanced up at the damaged mast and the torn sails. Around at the broken rails and smashed stairs. Out through the hole at the aft and the destroyed remnants of the captain's cabin.

"We can get away as it takes down the Pearl." She only vaguely heard the words, but she found it hard to process them. She felt... numb. There were too many feelings, too many emotions all trying to happen at once, and she wasn't in a state to be prepared to deal with them. She wasn't ready to feel such a great loss yet again.

"Abandon ship," Gibbs said, and Alice winced as the pain in her heart cut through everything else. "Abandon ship or abandon hope."

She hadn't realized her eyes were tightly shut until she felt an arm around her, trying to guide her to move. It was Paul, who was looking at her with concern, a pained smiled on his face. She glanced over to see Jack, who was softly touching the ropes attached to the mast, and also slowly looking around the ship, his soft footsteps telling her he was also feeling the sting of their decision to abandon the Pearl.

She shuffled forward in a daze, Paul guiding her away. She didn't feel the ladder beneath her fingers as she climbed down; didn't look to see who else was in the longboat, or gaze out across the open water they still had to cross to safety. She heard Gibbs calling out orders, heard the others loading the boat around her. She held herself tightly, mind buzzing.

"Where's Jack?" Will asked, but his tone seemed to hold no concern for the other man.

"He elected to stay behind to give us a chance," Elizabeth replied. At that, Alice suddenly looked up at her. "Go!" she commanded, and the longboat began to drift away from the Pearl.

Alice's eyes shot toward the ship. As they moved further from her, emotions returned to Alice in full force. This wasn't just a ship. This had been her home. This had been where her life truly changed; really started anew. This had been where she'd met- Her breath hitched in her throat. This ship was  _him_.

She realized that tears were streaming down her face, and she didn't try to stop them. Nor did she try to stop the wracking sobs that began to escape her body. Paul tried to put his arms around her to console her, but she pushed him away, curling further into herself as her eyes remained fixed on the ship. Why hadn't she thought to grab a piece of it? Something of him to keep with her, close to her heart? Something tangible she could hold onto forever?

She tried, but she couldn't look away as her heart was dragged to the depths, wrapped in giant, slimy tentacles.

If she hadn't been gasping for breath as she sobbed, the others might have made out the word her mouth was trying over and over to get out: " _Hector_."


	22. Back in the Shack

As they drifted through the dark waters of the swamp, Alice was quiet. Her sobs had finally stopped, and she returned to feeling empty and numb. She was vaguely aware of the innumerable candles that were flickering around them like steady fireflies; they were just blurs in the corners of her eyes. Everyone aboard the longboat had been silent as they crossed the open water, partly out of fear, partly out of respect, and largely out of sadness.

The mood as they sat inside of Tia Dalma's shack was no different. Everyone sat in solemn silence - the only sound was that of Will's father's knife as he repeatedly stabbed it into the table slowly. Alice stood outside, her arms resting along the banister of the balcony, as she gazed blearily out at all of those candles still burning. Her heart ached as she tried to make sense of it all. Paul sat on the ground beside her, his back against one of the railing's poles as he had his own silent contemplations. Next to him stood Mr. Gibbs, also gazing out at nothing in particular.

Alice didn't know where they would go from here. Where  _could_  they possibly go? And how? Even though Hector was gone, she had soldiered on, because at least they had the Pearl. But now even that was gone, and Jack along with it. She absently played with the ring on her finger. They couldn't stay in the swamp, at least not for long. Would they all scatter to the winds, continue on with some semblance of the life they were accustomed to? Would they change course and move onto to something new?

Alice glanced over at Paul. She thought that perhaps it would be a comfort to at least have him here, but she wasn't even sure about that. The life she thought she had wanted disappeared - not when he had broken her heart, not when she had traded that place in time for another. She had originally thought she just needed to get away for a while, to put some distance between them. But she had found something much different here; something she had never expected. She didn't know she would meet so many people that would become so important to her. She didn't think she would have a new life that she could never see herself walking away from. And she certainly didn't expect that she would fall in love again, especially not so deeply and so completely - and in such a short period of time.

It wasn't just physical attraction, their easy conversations, or a dependence on him for survival. Hector made her feel something much more complete. She felt seen, heard... understood. Known. She felt a chemistry she had never experienced, and so much deeper than she thought was possible. And she knew he felt it, too. She smirked in spite of everything else as she imagined what he would say if he was here now. He'd probably be happy to be rid of Jack, but pissed about the Pearl. But Hector Barbossa would not let that stop him; he'd already be making plans to procure a new ship, and their next adventure. But what sort of thing would he go seeking now, especially after the curse of greed and treasure had burdened him for so long? And, for her part, what is it that she wanted to do now? Where did she want to go and why? And how?

As her thoughts came full circle, she shook her head. She knew her thoughts would continue in this cycle for some time, but she didn't want to dwell on it right now.

"How are you feeling?" she asked Paul softly, startling him from his own thoughts. He let out a long exhale and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'm not sure," he answered honestly. "There are a million questions in my mind, but I'm sure many of them are the same ones that you and everyone else are having, so it doesn't seem like the time to ask them." Alice breathed out a small, sad laugh.

"Probably," was all she said.

"At least I'm not alone," he said with a tiny smile, and she creased her brow.

"Well, at least there is that."

With a sigh, she turned to lean her back against the railing, resting her elbows on the banister. Tia Dalma stepped out with a tray of cups, and offered one to each of them. Alice gratefully took a mug of rum, and the woman gave her a warm smile. She took a soft sip and the familiar burn of the rum gave her great comfort in that moment. Tia Dalma's quiet words drifted from inside as she spoke with different people.

"The Pearl is gone," came Will's annoyed voice loudly. "Along with its captain."

"Aye," Gibbs responded. "And already the world seems a bit less bright." He turned and stepped inside the shack. "He fooled us all, right 'til the end... But I guess that 'honest streak' finally won out. To Jack Sparrow," he toasted.

"Never another like Captain Jack," Ragetti said.

"He was a gentleman of fortune, 'e was," Pintel added.

"He was a good man," Elizabeth said, her voice shaking but strong. Alice smiled sadly.

"He was a troublemaker and a fool," she said, lifting her glass. "And the world isn't right without him." She took a large draw from her mug and turned away, gazing out at the swamp once more. She heard soft whispering and then:

"Would you do it?" Tia Dalma asked. "Hmm? What would you? What would any of you be willing to do, hmm?" she asked even louder. "Would you sail to the ends of the Earth and beyond to fetch back witty Jack and 'im precious Pearl?"

Alice furrowed her brow, but then dismissed it. While she knew there was something magical about the woman, there was no coming back from  _that_. She heard a repeated "aye" come from within, from each crew member, and she lifted her cup to the swamp sardonically before taking another deep draw.

"All right," she heard Tia Dalma's voice, which was soft again. "But if you go and brave the weird and haunted shores at World's End, then you will need a captain who knows those waters."

Alice sighed to herself. What was she talking about? Alice wasn't sure, but she didn't really care in that moment. She knew deep down that they would sail again under a new captain and on a new ship and onto a new adventure, but it was still too soon. She'd get the details later. Right now, she just wanted more rum.

The heavy footfalls of a booted pair of feet could be heard walking slowly down the stairs within, and she was aware of the rest of the crew slowly moving about. Even Paul stood and headed inside, leaving her alone on the balcony. Alice lifted her mug to drink the last of its contents.

"So tell me," a voice from inside said, and Alice froze mid swallow. "What's become of my ship?"

Alice choked on the rum in her throat, coughing roughly. _IT CAN'T BE_... She turned and ran into the shack, shoving the others out of the way to get to the bottom of the staircase, and froze.

Standing before her was none other than a very alive Hector Barbossa.


End file.
